Levi's- Go Forth: Pretentious poetry with a capital P.

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

Dear Anonymouscoward:

First off, thank you so much for granting us here at adland the right to have an opinion differing from yours. It's so very gracious of you.

Secondly, you seemed bothered by my use of the word "hipster." I guess I pushed a button. My apologies. Let's call it "stereotypical youth." will that work? Becuase they certainly weren't breaking any boundaries with their lovely, thin and young casting.

How about let's talk about the ad instead, which, if you were careful to read my analysis, you'd realize that was exactly what I was doing.

The Under 24 demographic seems to be the holy grail for every client out there. They think they have all the dough to spend, so everything needs to be funneled to them. Having worked on Levi's before, I should know. It's easier to pull off in the European markets, as they're more expensive there. But in the States, not really. They're actually considered midrange or cheap. So it's a bit weird to focus on that area now.

Regardless of pricing point, the problem is by narrowing the market in such a way, they corrupted what has been a great, strong, and well-crafted campaign that is thought provoking as much as it was in some instances, divisive. Instead we're now appealing to the same demographic as every other denim company. Why is this? Why the change?

Levi's is an American brand, Levi jeans were initially built for work. Marry the two points, and voila. The first relevant and compelling thing Levi's has done in a very long time beyond just sex and youth and pretty people in varying states of undress. Something for America to rally behind. Youths and oldies alike. Walt Whitman started it off. And guess what? The jeans were secondary. People were wearing them, but they weren't the object of the camera's (or the vo's) affection.

To now take the idea, shift the focus away from America as a whole, and narrow it down to "youth culture," and play up the more tactile elements of the jeans makes this ad strategically not as compelling as before.

Poetry is subjective, granted. But advertising isn't. And guess what? This was written for a TV spot. This is an ADVERT. It's using poetry as a device, but it's not a poem. It's voice over copy. And It's overwritten. Again that's the fault of the shift in tone that loses the depth it worked so hard to create over several years worth of work. But there's not many times you can get away with using Walt Whitman in a spot.

And as to your last comment, as Dabitch has pointed out: we've been over this a hundred times before. Everyone who writes for Adland, writes, art directs and designs and creative directs for a living.

Thanks for the snark though, it's always appreciated.

"The vaguely inspirational prose washes past the ears with a lowest-common-denominator warm fog of identification.
I can't work up authentic repugnance for this campaign."

WINNER

I like sarcastic poetry slams.

Throwing in "bottom of the ninth," in a long rant for Generation Instagram does not an American ad make. Showing fabulously dressed central casting of young people does not for a compelling ad make.

I am neither jealous nor angry about it. If you reread what I wrote, then you'll understand I was in fact bemoaning such a quick cheapening of what started as a great campaign. A campaign that was demographic agnostic, and spoke to the country as a whole, especially with their Braddock content.

This spot took a fantastic idea, put it in the oven and reduced it Shrinky Dinks-like to the usual pablum.

That, my Anonymous Coward, is what we call a shame.

Is "Urban War Cry," another name for "Manifesto?"

The stuff you mentioned is definitely important, but to me, I think i would put those in your list under tonality rather than type of ad.

This is definitely a rallying cry/manifesto/stake your claim in the ground kind of ad. It's trying (and in my opinion, trying too hard) to reach the youth market.

For me there are two types of ads: those with an idea. those without an idea.

All the rest is execution and that is always up for subjective debate, if you believe in subjective debate.

I'm a thirty something year old overeducated male who creates ads for a living, majored in fiction and poetry, wears levi's is left-handed, and thinks this ad is total wankery as well.

As to whether the poem is real...I'm not sure what that means. What poet sits down and begins a poem with the line "This is a pair of Levi's?"

Yes poets are exactly like rappers. Just think about Dylan Thomas' most fmaous poem:

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Unless you wear your L.L. Bean cable knit sweater.

Difficult to say. As how does one reliably prove an ad moves product?

IDK, if you go to Levi's website right at the top it says "made in the U.S.A."