Mike Cozens
Copywriter at BBH
London, United Kingdom
TitlePick Up
Agency
Campaign Levi's 501
Advertiser Levi Strauss & Co.
Brand Levi's
Date of First Broadcast/Publication 1989 / 2
Product Levi's 501
Business Sector Clothing
Tagline Levi's 501. The original jeans.
Story A young man in a tow truck stops to help a girl and her father whose car has broken down at the side of the road. The man takes off his Levi's 501's and uses them to tow the broken down car.
Philosophy BBH's solution for the 501 was to celebrate the authenticity of the Original Jean. Our aim was to focus on the 1950s when Levi’s 501 was adopted as a badge of youth rebellion and cool. We developed a Mythical America far from contemporary reality and captured the enduring values of youth: sex, rebellion, freedom and individuality whilst luxuriating in product detail. The brand territory we identified for Levi's was Originality and the Big Idea was The Original and Definitive Jean, a positioning which Levi's still adheres to today.
Problem When Levi's first came to us in the early 1980's the denim market was in decline. There was no brand leadership in the market and Levi's were seen as old persons jeans. Being an American brand, Levi's was associated with Ronald Reagan, Dinasours of Rock and fat tourists. In product tests, consumers found Levi's 501s unattractive.
Media Type Television
Length
Market Europe
Soundtrack Be My Baby
Executive Creative Director
Music
Copywriter
Art Director
Agency Producer
Director

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