Wednesday, November 25, 2009 Everything old is new again
It occurred to me as I sat, transfixed by the latest Levi’s television commercials, “Go Forth”, of the challenge marketers of established brands face in keeping relevant in a marketplace that prizes everything “new”. Levi’s is a case study in how a 150 year old brand with a substantially unchanged product can continually make itself essential to each generation.
Marketers of established brands are often tasked with making something familiar seem new in order to reinvigorate consumer interest. “Old” is a stigma we avoid at all costs. If you can’t reformulate your product, ala a breakfast cereal, what can you do to make it new? One consideration is to embrace your position and appeal to the “heritage”, “genuine”, “beloved” nature of your brand. That might manifest in a position of confidence and comfort. Or, along the same line, appeal to the “retro” funkiness it might project and make it newly “hip”.
You might also reinvent how your product is used, repackage it or align it with something that your customers care about.
Another approach is to find the essence of the brand that is timeless and refocus it into the context of what matters today. Levi’s new campaign does that brilliantly and ironically. The hip new spots are built around the century-old poetry of Walt Whitman, used as the “battle-cry” for the new generation. The soundtrack of the first spot even uses a wax cylinder recording believed to be audio of Whitman himself reading from his poem “America.” The second spot in the campaign employs a recording of an actor reading Whitman’s “Pioneers! O Pioneers!”
The recordings, juxtaposed with wild, kinetic, color and black and white film of uninhibited youth, railing against adversity make the spots jarring and engaging. The jeans are shown on dirty, half-dressed and barefoot youth. The commercials suggest that these are the new pioneers calling their generation to action. Drawing on their heritage and projecting it through the lens of today’s economic, political and social environment, Levi’s seems completely of the moment.
Unfortunately, not all products have the “timelessness” that American blue jeans enjoy, but marketers of products that have stood the test of time and need only to be “rediscovered” by a new generation can benefit from similar creative reinvention.
advertising, brand in Advertising 
Reader Comments (2)
The "Go Forth" campaign has been on the top of my mind since the day I saw it and I'm certainly not alone. In speaking with others, people either love it for the visual uniqueness, high production value and American nostalgia or nit-pick on perceived clichés. Regardless, the second I bring it up they know immediately what I'm talking about. The campaign also lends Levi’s a healthy dose of hipster cool, something the brand certainly wasn’t known for prior to these ads. With the advent of digital recording devices, I can’t remember the last time a non-Super Bowl, non-comedic, TV ad campaign has made such an imprint in my mind. Within the biz, “Go Forth" certainly has its detractors though. Check out Ad Age’s Bob Garfield and his less than glowing review, as well as the lively comment discussion that proceeds it.
Rick, you've raised another interesting point that I think merits examination. It seems the most thought-provoking, engaging marketing will always have its fans and detractors, which in itself can be a sign of a successful campaign. If it makes you think, react and debate, it has likely touched you and made you feel something. In the words of Maya Angelou, “people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” I think Mr. Garfield is being a little harsh in his analysis. I doubt younger viewers will feel manipulated. The spots very artfully capture an emerging sentiment and reflect it back in a powerful way. The result is that Levis has found a way to become part of the dialog.