The Musings Of An Opinionated Sod [Help Me Grow!]

beautifully shot nothingness that will keep american execs happy but not stop the fucking rot until levis sort out their product, stores and fucking brand heart and pissing soul.

youre right campbell, doesnt look or feel like a wk ad so i suspect its another client going to the fucking doctor and diagnosing the problem themselves.

i feel like i did when i saw bbh first ba ad. disafuckingpointed and underfuckingwhelmed.

i hope the print is better, wk do print better than anyone else so fingers fucking crossed the clients not made them do more bbh early 90s castoffs and something that makes people think levis with the force of a 10 ton fucking truck.

am i the only one who hears gun shots. it s disturbing. for me, the picture painted is one of chaos and destruction. with all due respect to the situation in the job market and the struggle many people have to go through, the u.s. are not a havocked country in africa or somewhere else.
the ad reminds me of some diesel stuff from a while ago…

i agree that it does not much to unite and ignite the younger generation.

the bbh spot is nice 🙂 can t believe that it s already 15 years since it s been aired.

age has sexual fantasies about nike.
wk do nike.
so age loves wk.
wk do levis.
age likes levis spot.

predictable as fuck. 🙂

i know you are but man hugs arent my thing gay boy so bring babes and cash or walk the sreets alone.

I swear I’m being objective here…

But isn’t the USA’s national anthem an old song about war? Very graphically, its all bombs exploding overhead, destruction, smoke, rushing over ramparts, blood being washed away, the silence after the battle… and amongst it all, the flag standing strongly acting as a reminder of what the Yanks are fighting for. That IS the USA.

For me (and me alone it seems 🙁 ) this commercial really taps into the above notion accurately; an ideal of who authentic Americans are and what authentic American’s rally around when faced with hardship (like they are at the moment). They FIGHT and they CONQUER – perhaps somewhat arrogantly but fuck that’s the American way! People are looking for realness and reassurance at the moment… By aligning this classic American brand with the roots of what Americans believe about their country and themselves, I honestly think Wieden’s have created a true rallying cry for the target to connect with, even with a hard client like Levi’s seems to be (I wouldn’t know about that).

Anyways…

*puts on flame suit*

Andy, it’s a deal!

This is the second day I am going against the popular vote, but I like the commercial.

This will no doubt prove Peter correct in his comment and assumptions as well as cement Levi’s irreversible brand decline.

rob, i have a soft spot for being cynical about wk. i love their staff, but can get a little bored with their output sometimes being more about ‘wk’ than about the brand.

but this is not one of those times. the only thing really linking those two vids is the b&w stock. the new one is actually an amazingly rousing film which certainly goes a whole lot more further at creating some ID for the jeans: freedom, richness, diversity, love – as opposed to christian-girls-go-hot-for-sexy-white-boy same-old-same-old.

i’m with age and lee – i dig it.

BUT, they have to be able to back it up with good quality, well fitting jeans that will actually last the age (which the creek one certainly seemed to refer to). otherwise it’s just more of the same bollocks short film stuff.

this is all subjective, and i don t want to appear rude either…

the bbh spot was about product, heritage, sex, and a little rebellion

the new spot is about what? the images and the sound are sometimes contradictory (at least confusing or a bit cynical) and sometimes not.

i hear and see words of a poem – equal daughters and sons – houses in a shabby neighbourhood and then a guy who is apparently some rich business man wearing a suit. i see protests in the street, the police, little kids jumping around and old men sitting. love – a girl and a guy kissing and so on… i hear gun shots (yes, i do. and i do not like it). i see fireworks and sparks that don t really look like the ones from 4th july.

then i should go forth. where to. and where am i coming from after this.

im telling george on you lee.
or you can buy me dinner on saturday.

will you book or me?

rob, i’m trying to not sound facetious here, but what’s the difference (in tone, feel and intention) between this and something like schweppes burst? really, isn’t it about creating a mood, or shell for an emotional and experiential response?

or, like bazza said, maybe there’s something that i’m not seeing that is blatantly obvious. or i could just be reading into things a little too much. not that i do that at all. nope. never. not me.

😀

I agree with Lauren. This is fashion… It’s about giving your audience a reason to be interested or belong. Like a badge of honor. Sure Levis might be pretty cheapo jeans without much street cred in younger audiences, but at least this ad clearly gives the brand something fresh to stand for. No one let alone myself can explain why I might buy one pair or jeans over another (especially pretty plain standard ones like Levis…) it’s the badge of honor that makes the difference. And in fashion it matters more than anything! Better to have something than nothing I say.

I’m quite happy at the debate this post has caused …

I must say I am quite shocked that Lauren thinks the only similarity between the ads are the B&W film stock, but I am more amused at the long and detailed post-rationalised commentary Age gives.

Maybe he is right – and if he is, then I would say WK have committed the cardinal sin in cultural planning … they’ve forgotten the brand.

What I mean is that as much as I am happy people are starting to look at culture as a planning input, it still has to find a way to relate to the brand/category or it becomes overly self indulgent – something that will still work, but nowhere near what it could achieve given the realities of how people consume advertising. If this ad is indeed based on Age’s beautifully scribed proposition – then I would say the element of ‘category’ is sorely missing because take away the brand and it could be for a whole host of other companies including those as far removed from jeans/clothing as you can get.

The really annoying thing is that I think with a couple of changes, it could of been amazing. Not just as a piece of film, but as something that drives Levi’s change because as it stands now, it is more like a grown up Pepsi ad than Levi’s … more about anger and/or [contrived] justice than rebellion.

But regardless of all this, the real problem for me – and taking away the most important and real issue of product and distribution – it doesn’t go far enough, doesn’t really make a stand for what it believes or what it wants, doesn’t encapsulate the real heart of the brand and just comes across as yet another american corporate trying to be edgy when everything else about them screams otherwise.

Will it work? Yep.

Will it work as well as they want? Possibly – but I totally doubt it.

But you know, Harvey Norman and The Sun are popular too … it doesn’t mean it couldn’t be done better. In essence my issue with the WK component of this campaign [acknowledging the real blame can be placed at the feet of Levi’s] is their standards.

As we all know WK standards are some of the very highest and whilst it’s beautifully shot, to me it fails interms of the evolution, imagery, energy and hunger it needs to really create change for Levi’s and given these are attributes WK have squeezed out of NIKE for years, they should be able to do better than anyone else.

Levi’s need relevance – but they are chasing acceptance and that is something the brand should never do.

I know I’m saying lots but meaning little – it’s because I’ve just got back, am tired and yet trying to catch up on all the stuff that happened while I’m away – so give me a couple of days and I’ll try and be more succinct with what I’m trying to say because for someone in the communication industry, I know I’m not doing much communicating, ha!

Well done Baz – those ‘read with Mother’ books are really making a difference. Next time, see if you can go for 4 …

And to think Andy really likes and rates Age …

Imagine what George goes through each and every day. 🙂

i think my comment has come across like im a fucking bastard. this is why i fucking trust politicians more than technology and i fucking hate politicians so let me say to age no offence was meant even if i think youre talking shite. 🙂

and for fucks sake lauren get a life. talking about ads in social time is fucking sad even more so if its about fake fight the system sponsored by levis who are part of the system ad campaigns.

its a talent i learnt from ex #1and #2

Also I don’t know how you can compare the two ads. Go Forth has a black man kissing a white woman at the end. Racial segregation was still going on in the 60’s…. Black prison population is huge. The BBH ad shtick is heritage.

The W&K ad is about the future of building on decay. It’s a 50 000 word article in itself.

Ghetto kids doing back flips versus Coach and horses? They’re both black and white and that’s where it ends.

For me the new ad is a modern interpretation of the wild west … conflict between opposing groups, love and violence, a new dawn for a young country/generation … and I think that is quite an interesting area but it’s too subtle [which is why maybe most people can’t see it. ha] however whilst this is all well and good, it doesn’t show LEVI’s role in all this social revolution which is why I am disappointed and why I think something like Apple “Crazy One’s” ad is a much better example of a brand trying to unite a group of people and give them a sense of belonging, purpose and alliance.

But hey, the fact we’re talking about this is good news for WK and Levi’s … but if not enough people end up buying any of their jeans, it’s all been an expensive adventure in ad/corporate ego – which is, sadly. what I still think I’ll be saying 12 months from now.

Marcus’ point say’s it all …

Although to be fair I think it’s where they take this ad that could be interesting. It’s not just about some art on the telly. Though it is art.

Talk about missing the point – I don’t know how this ad can possibly be considered groundbreaking or even relevant. It isn’t a new thought, it isn’t showing Levi’s in a different/ relevant light, and it doesn’t seem to be talking to their target audience either (assuming they still want young hipsters) .. I think their original online idea of ‘editing’ the declaration is really powerful – don’t let anyone dictate freedom to you – I think that’s brilliant given the world we live in. And so much more powerful that a ‘pretty’ film (walt whitman’s poetry was the highlight of this one)

Maybe they need to revive the Americana values – the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness. and do this in a way that allows people to achieve things, explore new ideas, share thinking or change the world around them. whether it’s thru a levi’s lobby group, education, training or speakeasies – the idea is *SO* much bigger than just advertising.

I think Levi’s needs a good old dose of ‘bravery’ – figure out how to stand for these values in a way that benefits the brand AND the bottomline..

I’d do road trips allowing the youth to rediscover their country, find pride in heritage and build creativity w knowledge. Allen ginsberg and watermelon sugar, anyone?

The only people who really care about ads are people in adland.

I went out and bought some Levis Jeans today. Did you guys see there recent ad? It’s fab.

im going to burn a fucking federal building down. levis told me to.

Kaj.

I don’t know how you can write that with a straight face. Given that the semiotic-obvious has flown over your head can you look at it again and point out what it says about America that no other ad has ever done?

I could tell you but that would be too easy.