Branding: Levi's joins women's 'dress' jeans market

The Levi's Lady Style sub-brand is targeted at fashion-conscious Asian females. According to research conducted by Levi's, the 15 to 24 year-old demographic is increasingly buying and wearing jeans for smarter occasions.

"We recognised that there is a huge opportunity in women's jeans for women who want to feel sexy," said Levi Strauss Asia-Pacific director of brand strategic planning, Bibi Choa. "The jeans that you wear on Saturday are not the same ones you wear on Saturday night."

While Levi's Red Tab offering is already a market leader among this demographic, Jacob Wright, strategic planner at BBH Asia-Pacific - Levi's retainer above-the-line agency - believes that the Lady Style brand will grow market share.

"The Levi's brand has always been known for making stylish, good quality jeans for men and women, but women have tended to wear Levi's jeans for casual occasions - for an effortlessly sexy, tomboyish kind of look," said Wright.

"This demographic represents an opportunity for the Levi's business to grow by reaching out into a new jeans wearing occasion."

Levi's key competitors for this niche are expected to be brands such as Miss Sixty and Guess, which already offer more 'dressy' jeans.

"The rationale behind the advertising campaign was to show this group that the Levi's brand has a product specifically for this type of occasion, and that it is unique with a superior fit," said Wright.

Accordingly the campaign will include three print executions that highlight the range's jeans and tops, featuring models peeling off their ordinary clothes to reveal Lady Style's Diva jeans.

"The campaign is carried through to in-store posters, on-product tags and various other in-store materials such as stickers in dressing rooms," added Wright.

The print work is complemented by a special website created by OgilvyOne, along with a PR campaign. "The website will have an interactive game, where women can go in and try to mix and match outfits," said Choa.

Levi's recently released improved figures for the third quarter of 2004, with net profit reaching US$46.6 million compared to a net loss of $4.3 million in the same period of 2003. One of the factors the group attributed for the improvement was increased sales of higher-priced products in Asia.