Unpacking Levi’s New Marketing Strategy

Levi’s needs consumers to “dwell in” extra than simply its denims.

On Monday, the model launched a brand new marketing campaign celebrating the 10-year anniversary of its Reside in Levi’s tagline, first launched in 2014. The 60-second spot, which is able to dwell in varied codecs throughout tv, social media, streaming and out-of-home, reveals a gaggle of buddies sitting on the sofa watching TV — naturally, all sporting Levi’s. Bored, they flip the channel to a music video, and one, struck with inspiration, hops as much as begin dancing. Her strikes shortly do greater than inject power into the room — she flips the espresso desk after touchdown on the bottom after a bounce. The remainder of the group will get as much as be part of her, and the whole room begins to tilt as an authentic music from producer and DJ Kaytranada performs within the background.

The advert, which is named “The Ground is Yours,” ends with the display screen panning out to indicate the scene taking part in on one other TV display screen, being watched by one other bored pair. Certainly one of them leans ahead, a glint in her eye — she’s about to hop up and do the identical factor.

As a part of the marketing campaign, Levi’s is issuing a worldwide casting name, asking consumers to movie their very own video recreating the dance strikes seen within the spot. It’s an apt time for the model to concern such a name to customers, who they’re more and more hoping to talk extra on to sooner or later.

Levi’s within the midst of a transitional moment. The almost 171-year-old firm, one of many oldest working retail manufacturers in the US, is at the moment on a mission not solely to shift how customers contemplate Levi’s, but in addition the place they store for its merchandise.

Final 12 months laid naked the vulnerabilities of the model’s historic reliance on wholesale: In January, Levi’s introduced it had missed income estimates for the fourth quarter, and deliberate to cut 10 to 15 percent of its corporate jobs.

To course right, Levi’s needs to refocus on its direct-to-consumer enterprise each on-line and in shops; at the moment accounting for 40 % of its gross sales, it needs to extend that quantity to 55 % by 2027. As properly, Levi’s is hoping to get consumers to think about them for extra than simply pants, and decide up tops and jackets, equivalent to a $70 denim corset or a $198 denim trench coat, whereas they’re looking for a pair of denims. The thought, Mitchell mentioned, is to get customers to embrace the thought of “denim dressing,” head to toe.

“We’re seeking to inform the story round this concept of being this unofficial uniform for progress,” Kenny Mitchell, Levi’s chief advertising officer, who joined the corporate in June 2023, mentioned of the inspiration behind the marketing campaign, his first main marketing campaign for the model. “We speak about progress as this concept of motion. It’s about being a doer and taking motion. Progress isn’t for people that sit on the sidelines.”

This marketing campaign is among the first steps in making that push.

A New Chapter for Levi’s

However altering shopper perceptions a couple of model — from what to purchase from them to the place to purchase it — is simpler mentioned than achieved, notably for a model with as wealthy a historical past as Levi’s. The model’s problem now’s to push Levi’s ahead with out shedding sight of that.

“It’s an incredible profit to have this historical past and legacy,” mentioned Mitchell. “It’s incredible to have the ability to play with our previous and produce that into the long run in actually artistic methods.”

The marketing campaign is supposed to mirror that bring-the-past-into-the-future mindset. Levi’s, Mitchell mentioned, has a historical past of being tied to music — it was one of many first attire manufacturers to run adverts on the radio, for instance, with a soundtrack by Jefferson Airplane, and has used music in numerous adverts since.

“Each selection we made creatively was guided by … how Levi’s actually needs to place itself transferring ahead as this contemporary denim life-style model,” mentioned Erin Riley, chief govt of TBWAChiatDay USA, Levi’s artistic and social company associate and the company behind the marketing campaign.

If the purpose is to deepen customers’ reference to Levi’s, prioritising shops is an effective preliminary step, mentioned Allen Adamson, co-founder and CEO of promoting company Metaforce.

There, consumers can see Levi’s full assortment and discuss to staff which are consultants concerning the model.

“To alter the elemental notion of a model’s picture, they’ve acquired to go direct to shopper, as a result of wholesalers don’t have the ability set and funds to do this,” Adamson mentioned. “It’s a marathon, however they needed to begin on this course.”

Nonetheless, it’s essential to keep up the steadiness with wholesale, as these type of buying patterns might be tough to shift — consider Nike, which is at the moment dealing with slowed momentum and gross sales after pulling again on wholesale partnerships.

When it comes to getting folks to think about Levi’s as greater than only a bottoms vacation spot, Mitchell mentioned he’s beginning with zeroing in on Levi’s model identification, after which making use of that to future advertising initiatives that may spotlight the model’s tops or jackets assortment. The identical approach earlier campaigns would highlight basic gadgets just like the model’s Trucker jackets or 501 denims, future adverts will spotlight t-shirts or equipment.

If it really works, Levi’s will be capable of improve its gross sales and start to increase the model’s definition for customers. Nonetheless, for a corporation that’s about as synonymous with bottoms because it will get, it’ll be an uphill climb to get folks to think about them otherwise.

“The additional you go away from the core, the tougher it will get,” mentioned Bob Phibbs, CEO of consultancy The Retail Physician.