Levi's salutes classic 501 via regional blast

<P>SINGAPORE: Levi's celebrates its classic 501 jeans in a BBH-created campaign, 'Stay true', which rolled out on May 1, in conjunction with Levi's officially-declared 'birthday' of its flagship brand.</P> <P><BR>"This campaign is all about keeping it real and authentic, just like the iconic 501 jeans. It is about accepting who you really are and telling the world the intimate truth that makes you, you," said John Hadfield, managing director of BBH Asia-Pacific. </P> <P><BR>The campaign expresses 'intimate truths' from the wearer and the 501 jeans. The print ads show 501-clad hipsters revealing intimate thoughts such as 'You'll never really know me until you know what turns me on'. The below-the-line ads divulge private truths from the jeans' perspective. For example, one execution shows a worn-out pair of denim with the headline, 'Outlasted 5 boyfriends'. </P> <P><BR>The art direction adopts a scrapbook approach using doodles, magazine cut-outs, and rough sketches. "Each print execution looks like it was done by the different individuals. The result is a montage of illustrations, finished pictures and handwritten 'truth' captions that gives insight into the thoughts of youths and what matters most to them," explained Hadfield. "We are targeting a young, leading-edge consumer who engages best with brands that respect fundamental values in their lives." </P> <P><BR>"The Levi's 501 jeans is an iconic piece of clothing and, just like its wearer, it exudes independence, bold ideals and a free spirit," said Ghen Akiyama, strategic brand planning director for the Levi's brand, Levi Strauss Asia-Pacific. "There's always been a certain mystique about the magic figure '501', since Levi Strauss gave that lot number to the first batch of Levi's jeans around 1890.</P> <P><BR>"The success of the Levi's brand is contingent on our key strategy of growing the brand's equity and driving category demand, through a continuous output of product innovation and targeted consumer communications. Everything about the 'Stay true' campaign supports this strategy -- from the product that it sells to the story that it tells." <BR>The ads introduce Levi's 501 2006 customised jeans, which adds enhancements to the original design, such as 'carvings' of hearts. Akiyama described the limited edition jean as "an artful, innovative update of the original iconic Levi's 501 jean".</P> <P><BR>'Stay true' was launched in 12 countries across Asia, plus parts of Latin and Central America. The campaign is also supported by a PR push, in-store events and an online campaign by OgilvyOne.</P>