Lance Acord’s Poetic Levi’s Spot

This is a pair of Levi’s. Simple, to the point, and oh-so-chic. The new campaign from Wieden + Kennedy Portland for the iconic jeans brand focuses on the tailored Fall/Winter 2012 collection and is suitably sharp. Director Lance Acord helms a 60-second film that sees driven young people putting on their Levi’s to face the world, as they repeat the rhythmic mantra ‘you’re gonna be great’. The campaign was informed by research that suggests today’s youth believe that it is up to them to make a positive difference in the world. Consequently, the central spot features musicians, teachers, interns – people who live their life with purpose.

 

“As the original jeans brand, we work hard to not just design clothing, but to design clothing that somehow inspires and empowers millions of people to pursue their passion, whatever it is, with an intuitive sense that, if you’re wearing a pair of Levi’s jeans, anything is possible,” says Mary Alderete, Global Vice President of Levi’s Brand Marketing. “This campaign is designed to ignite a new generation of pioneers to believe in the Levi’s brand as much as we believe in them.”

 

 

This is the latest chapter in the brand’s signature ‘Go Forth’ creative platform, which first launched in North America in 2009 and expanded globally in 2011. The 2012 ‘Go Forth’ global campaign launches in mid-August, 2012. Created in partnership with Wieden+Kennedy Portland, Oregon, the digital execution was led by Wunderman, New York, with Media strategy across all platforms developed and activated by OMD, Los Angeles.

 

The 2012 phase of the ‘Go Forth’ campaign translates across a range of TV, print, digital and outdoor media and will launch in markets around the world. Woven throughout the creative platform is the caption, ‘This is a pair of Levi’s’. 

 

“Go Forth continues to be a strong platform that embodies the pioneering spirit and intrinsic values of the Levi’s brand,” said Len Peltier, Global Vice President of Creative for the Levi’s brand. “From a creative approach, we wanted to be culturally relevant while also making the product more central to the brand narrative. Our intent is to disrupt what people think they know about the Levi’s brand and redefine that with unexpected product stories and a more refined styling point of view. Each story is a confident statement – ‘This is a pair of Levi’s’.”

 

Though the campaign is purposefully refined, Levi's and W+K have not abandoned the pioneering spirit central to the brand.  The taglines featured in the outdoor, digital and print advertising, such as ‘Cut with Grace’ and ‘Tailored for the Young and Hungry’ are all about capturing the dynamism of the planet's young.  Photographer Christian Weber has been brought on board to depict the head-to-toe look of the 2012 collection. The print work also features the model found through the Levi’s brand casting effort earlier this year to source new faces from around the world via the popular photo-sharing service Instagram. 

 

In addition to traditional media channels, the campaign also has a strong digital element. The online strand includes a Lookbook as its centrepiece, which allows consumers to play with the collection, whether by spinning a model around to examine her free-flowing dress or putting a cyclist through his paces to test the mobility of the Levi Commuter Series. In addition, Levi’s designers’ stories are neatly woven throughout, with exclusive videos that explain their vision behind each product. The Lookbook can be found on Levi.com

 

Consumers can also engage in mobile experiences that bring the product stories to life, including the brand’s first iAd and the first-ever shoppable brand magazine on Flipboard. Finally, in order to fuel conversations that celebrate Go Forth moments, the Levi’s brand will be asking consumers to share their daily activities to make the world a better place. The conversation will begin through Twitter hashtag #goforth starting September 1.

 

CLIENT: Levi Strauss & Co.

PROJECT NAME: Fall 2012 Global Go Forth Campaign

FORMAT:  TV & Cinema

 

W+K PORTLAND

Creative Directors: Tyler Whisnand / Eric Baldwin / Don Shelford

Copywriter: Erin Swanson

Art Director: Jimm Lasser / Monica Nelson

Producer: Sarah Shapiro / Kirsten Acheson 

Account Team: Andrew Schafer / Jessie Young

Executive Creative Directors: Mark Fitzloff / Susan Hoffman

Agency Executive Producer: Ben Grylewicz

Business Affairs : Cindy Lewellen 

Strategic Planner: Andy Lindblade

 

PRODUCTION

Production Company: Park Pictures

Director: Lance Acord

Executive Producer: Jackie Kelman Bisbee / Mary Ann Marino

Line Producer: Caroline Kousidinis

Director of Photography: Lance Acord

 

EDITORIAL 

Editorial Company: Joint

Editor: Tommy Harden

Post Producer: Lisa Ashe

Post Executive Producer: Patty Brebner 

Assistant Editor: Eric Hill

 

VFX 

VFX Company: A52

VFX Executive Producer: Jennifer Sofio Hall

VFX Producer: Matt Olmon

VFX Artists: Andy Raphael Barrios / Scott Johnson / Bruno Parenti / Christel Hazard / Matt Sousa / Dan Ellis

 

SOUND DESIGN

Sound Designer: Tommy Harden

VO Artist: Renee Faia

 

MIX

Mix Company: Eleven Sound

Mixer: Jeff Payne

Producer: Caroline O’Sullivan

 

Media Agency - OMD GLOBAL 

Global Group Account Director: Marcus Strijdveen

Group Director of Strategy Carrie Davis

Supervisor: Jacqueline Thames

 

OMD US

Group Director of Strategy: Carrie Davis

Supervisor: Jacqueline Thames

Digital Director: Matthew Ross

Senior Digital Strategist: Donica Shye