Comeback of an old pair of pants
The US jeans manufacturer sings its way into the hearts of teens with karaoke commercials
The US jeans manufacturer sings its way into the hearts of teenagers with karaoke commercialsBy Thérèse BalduzziFor today's teenagers, Levi Strauss is their parents' jeans brand. Levi's are considered uncool. But the jeans factory's latest campaign has a chance of being noticed again by 18-24-year-olds. It pretends to be uncool.
The karaoke spots designed by TBWA Chiat/Day were launched for the holidays. The campaign consists of 31 30-second spots. In them, real people perform alone or in pairs on a stage and sing along to the songs "Downtown" by Petula Clark, "Karma Chameleon" by Boy George and "Kung Fu Fighting" from the movie "Supercop".
Almost all amateur performers sing very differently. Some have so much ear for music that it becomes a chant. Others sing Boy George's song as if it were a hip-hop song. And in the "Kung Fu" song, most of them try their hand at helpless leg kicks.
But karaoke enjoys great popularity in America precisely because it is "cheesy", and the choice of songs is meant to be "camp", as the ironic attitude is called. The cheap decor, the bad songs and even worse interpretations are so uncool that they fulfill all the conditions for being cool.
The commercials also have a hypnotic effect. They are so unbearable that you can't look away. The perfect setting to show off the jeans, which is what it's all about. In the 31 spots, at least as many variations are shown as the Levi's models 569, 517, engineered jeans and corduroy versions can be worn. The tagline at the end of the spots shows the Levi's logo with the phrase "Make them your own", the title for a far-reaching campaign that also includes print ads, internet advertising and events. The campaign speaks to consumers' desire to express personality through their clothing. However, the campaign also focuses on the products. For example, the names of the jeans model just shown appear briefly in some of the karaoke commercials.
Campaign praise from
the trade press
The campaign also includes print ads for Levi's and for Levi's Engineered Jeans, in which young people style their jeans according to their style. They appear in magazines such as Vogue, GQ, Rolling Stone, Cosmopolitan and Sports Illustrated.
Previously, the "Dressing Room" and "Fix-it" commercials also ran as part of the campaign. The first shows young people in the changing room trying on their jeans and dancing in front of the mirror. "Fix-it" shows an attractive janitor wearing Levi's 569 who is inundated with requests for repair work from female residents.
Experts praise the campaign: both Bob Garfield from Advertising Age and Barbara Lippert from Adweek see the commercials as an opportunity for Levi's to be seen as a cool brand again.
The karaoke spots designed by TBWA Chiat/Day were launched for the holidays. The campaign consists of 31 30-second spots. In them, real people perform alone or in pairs on a stage and sing along to the songs "Downtown" by Petula Clark, "Karma Chameleon" by Boy George and "Kung Fu Fighting" from the movie "Supercop".
Almost all amateur performers sing very differently. Some have so much ear for music that it becomes a chant. Others sing Boy George's song as if it were a hip-hop song. And in the "Kung Fu" song, most of them try their hand at helpless leg kicks.
But karaoke enjoys great popularity in America precisely because it is "cheesy", and the choice of songs is meant to be "camp", as the ironic attitude is called. The cheap decor, the bad songs and even worse interpretations are so uncool that they fulfill all the conditions for being cool.
The commercials also have a hypnotic effect. They are so unbearable that you can't look away. The perfect setting to show off the jeans, which is what it's all about. In the 31 spots, at least as many variations are shown as the Levi's models 569, 517, engineered jeans and corduroy versions can be worn. The tagline at the end of the spots shows the Levi's logo with the phrase "Make them your own", the title for a far-reaching campaign that also includes print ads, internet advertising and events. The campaign speaks to consumers' desire to express personality through their clothing. However, the campaign also focuses on the products. For example, the names of the jeans model just shown appear briefly in some of the karaoke commercials.
Campaign praise from
the trade press
The campaign also includes print ads for Levi's and for Levi's Engineered Jeans, in which young people style their jeans according to their style. They appear in magazines such as Vogue, GQ, Rolling Stone, Cosmopolitan and Sports Illustrated.
Previously, the "Dressing Room" and "Fix-it" commercials also ran as part of the campaign. The first shows young people in the changing room trying on their jeans and dancing in front of the mirror. "Fix-it" shows an attractive janitor wearing Levi's 569 who is inundated with requests for repair work from female residents.
Experts praise the campaign: both Bob Garfield from Advertising Age and Barbara Lippert from Adweek see the commercials as an opportunity for Levi's to be seen as a cool brand again.
