Marketing manager Vincy Ho said stories about the limited edition -- 501 sets in all, costing HK$1,299 each (US$167) -- were seeded in key youth-oriented publications, including Milk and Tea, ahead of this month's roll out of the multimedia 'Stay True' campaign.
The box set also included a T-shirt, integral to the campaign's call for consumers to create their own 'Stay true' message which best reflect their attitude and personality. "This campaign is about asking consumers to create their own story and to stay true to it," Ho explained.
In various creative executions, celebrities and regular folk are seen sporting attitude-defining messages on their T-shirts, echoing the campaign's 'Stay true' message to underline 501's positioning as the original jeans.
One out-of-home execution features a fashion buyer wearing a T-shirt with the word 'fake' struck out and 'original' retained.
Levi's first relaunched 501 in Japan, with TV spots featuring Hiroshi Fujiwara, best-known for inspiring street fashion.
The brand did not invest in TV spend for Hong Kong, airing the Japanese spots on giant LED screens in key locations favoured by its 18 to 24 target demographic.
Levi's is also airing the spots online, using MSN Hong Kong and its Instant Messenger platform, as part of its biggest internet marketing investment to date (see p14).
Media agency OMD has also taken the campaign outdoors to connect with the brand's youth target.
In one of the city's underground train stations, it recreated an extensive Levi's Street, complete with street signs pointing to the nearest Levi's store, 3D pop-up neon lights and a zebra crossing.
"The 501 brand has a lot of classic images, which we could use to create an authentic street to showcase the brand's originality," said Caroline Chan, OMD's group business director.
An eight-page catalogue reproduced in the style of a long-playing record was bound into Tea and Milk magazines and also distributed in stores at point-of-sale, according to Chan. Relaunch of the 501 brand has been prompted by renewed interest in washed and vintage jeans, with Levi's introducing a new wash while retaining 501's iconic style.
