Fashion futurists, rejoice! Google and Levi’s first smart garment has arrived, and it’s a jean jacket that connects to your smartphone.
The tech giant’s Project Jacquard, focused on developing touch-sensitive fabrics, has been publicly working with the storied denim brand for a year now. The concept video for their launch product, Levi’s Commuter x Jacquard, slated for beta this fall and to hit shelves more widely in 2017, promises variations on largely familiar functions.
Turkish artist Mehmet Gozetlik has created a fascinating study in iconography with his latest work, titled “Chinatown,” where he deconstructs popular Western-based logos and reinterprets them in Chinese.
The resulting work is an interesting study in the effectiveness of a mark, and a true testament to the indelible impression these logos have in our minds. In the video below, Gozetlik shows us a glimpse into his process of creating one of his neon-sign designs into an actual neon sign:
“Chinatown is a Chinese translation of the trademarks in a graphical way” says the artist on his website.
“It’s a carefully arranged series of artworks showcasing 20 well-known Western brand logos with maintained visual and narrative continuity. ‘Chinatown’ pushes viewers to ask themselves what it means to see, hear, and become fully aware. ‘Chinatown’ also demonstrates our strangeness to 1.35 billion people in the world, when you can’t read Chinese.”
Instead of simply translating the brand names into Chinese, the logos include a generic description of the product written in Chinese. So, even for those fluent in Chinese, the logos appear somewhat unbranded.
Take a look below at some of these interesting studies in branding and see if you can figure them out on first glance:
Levi’s has landed itself in a little hot water, after shutting music fans out of a free concert for failing to wear the brand’s clothes to the show.
Last week, two popular bands, Haim, and Sleigh Bells, played at New York City’s Brooklyn Bridge Park in an event sponsored by the jeans-wear company. Levi’s stipulated ahead of time that the price-for-entry was to show up wearing a piece of the brand’s denim. But apparently not everyone got the message. Dozens of people were turned away at the gate for failing to comply, the Daily News reports.
It’s an odd scenario: The rules seem clear enough, but also arguably unnecessary and ultimately self-defeating. If the idea of the brand footing the bill for the concert was to generate goodwill among its own fans, then it’s pretty illogical to leave a bad taste in the mouths of target consumers by refusing them access (even if they hadn’t shelled out cash for any of its denim, yet). Building a sense of community and exclusivity around a product can be a good thing. Coming across as excessively mercenary—or simply tacky—is definitely not, especially in an era where negative impressions can reverberate quickly online.
On the other hand, fans feeling entitled to gain access to a free concert doesn’t really inspire much sympathy either. It’s not like putting on a pair of pants is the hardest thing in the world to do… even for a millennial.
The latest spot for Levi’s, created by FCB West/The House Worldwide andMJZ, imagines a personal relationship between each pair of denim pants and its owner.
Every pair tells a story, see…and all the jeans ask of you, consumer, is that you keep things interesting.
The pants-as-lifestyle-accessory theme marks a shift from the Wieden+Kennedy “Go Forth” campaign, which turned existential with the help of one Charles Bukowski.
“The first step was to get the brand voice back and make everyone know it’s their brand once again…It’s not a comeback tour. It’s a forever tour.”
The company’s own CMO emphasized the social components that will (hopefully) involve lots of people documenting the shared journey of themselves and their jeans.
Levi’s is trying on a simple, straightforward message in its first big push since reuniting with longtime agency FCB (and also hiring The House Worldwide) in February.
Unveiling a global campaign tagged “Live in Levi’s,” the iconic brand is using print ads and posters to show twentysomethings strolling around, cavorting and generally enjoying life while clad in Levi’s denim. Copy lines include “A classic since right now,” “Fall head over heels” and “Look good on your way to what’s next.”
“It’s intended to be both inclusive and inspiring,” CMO Jennifer Sey explains on Levi’s Unzippe” blog. “It’s a celebration. It’s not cynical. Or dour. Or overly serious—as many fashion and style-oriented brands can be. It’s fun. People have fun in jeans. It should be fun.”
Digital and social elements are also in the mix, along with TV and cinema ads launching next month from director Fredrik Bond, who lensed the memorable Cannes Lion-winning “Simon the Ogre” mini-epic for Thomson Holidays.
Recent efforts from previous agency Wieden + Kennedy, themed “Go Forth,” weren’t cynical, exactly, nor dour nor overly serious, though some observers believe they worked too hard too be cool, plugging into the zeitgeist while sacrificing Levi’s unique heritage. I kind of agree. There were some memorable moments, but, overall, “Go Forth” seemed to be flying by the seat of its pants, chasing random hipness.
The back-to-basics approach of “Live in Levi’s” strives for a more comfortable brand fit. It’s well-shot by photographer Jason Nocito and nicely understated, though it risks blending in with all the other fashion ads that show happy/moody young people who like wearing clothes.
To be fair, that’s a very preliminary impression. Print is, after all, just the first leg of a multifaceted campaign.
Quando se fala em Detroit, geralmente a primeira coisa que se pensa é na indústria automobilística. Mas, lá pelos anos 1960, a cidade conhecida como Motor City foi também o berço de uma revolução musical chamada Motown, quando um som único e contagiante ultrapassou as barreiras geográficas e culturais para influenciar artistas ao redor do mundo. É esta a história contada em Boom Town, documentário apresentado pela Levi’s que retorna aos anos 1960 para relembrar a trajetória de músicos que até hoje são referência nos universos musical e fashion.
Dirigido por Aaron Rose, Boom Town é o resultado de um grande processo de pesquisa em busca de filmagens raras em casas noturnas e shows, filmes cotidianos e fotos, além de filmes industriais da época. As imagens são mostradas com a narração dos artistas que vivenciaram aqueles momentos, como Russ Gibb, dono do Grande Ballroom – por onde passaram alguns dos maiores artistas do soul e rock da época -, o guitarrista de estúdio Dennis Coffey e o diretor de arte Gary Grimshaw, que criou diversos pôsteres para a gravadora.
O começo do documentário é um pouco devagar, mas quando a música começa pra valer, é impossível tirar os olhos da tela ou aumentar o volume para relembrar os clássicos da Motown. Vale o play.
A Levi’s resolveu focar na ligação entre o passado e o presente em sua nova campanha, Make our Mark, inserindo tecnologia em alguns objetos vintage, entre eles uma guitarra, duas câmeras – sendo uma delas fotográfica – e uma máquina de escrever. Denominado The Makers Tools, a ideia faz parte do projeto de arteStation to Station, que reúne artistas de diferentes áreas em um trem atravessando os Estados Unidos.
Apesar de não ser uma ideia nova – a gente já viu por aí vários objetos que unem características de antigas ferramentas analógicas ao universo digital -, aqui os objetos foram reprojetados para manter sua função original, mas conectados às redes sociais. É o caso, por exemplo, das câmeras Graflex Speed Graphic, de 1939, e Bolex B-8, de 1953, que postam fotos e vídeos diretamente no Instagram.
Para quem curte máquinas de escrever, esta Underwood No. 5 de 1901 conta os 140 caracteres do Twitter, enquanto a clássica Gibson ES-125, de 1953, está diretamente ligada ao Soundcloud.
O projeto é uma colaboração da marca com a agência AKQA, Stephen Hadinger, Fake Love, Matthew Epler e Mark Kleback.
Un excellent travail, très professionnel, par le duo de photographes français Nick & Chloé (composé de Nick West et de Chloé Claveri). Des shootings et des collaborations avec des marques tels que Levi’s ou Kenzo. De nombreux exemples dans la suite de l’article.
Em julho passado, a Wieden+Kennedy iniciou uma nova campanha para Levi’s incitando as pessoas (estado-unidenses, pelo menos) a buscarem seus espirítos de desbravadores e pioneiros. Com a assinatura “Go Forth”, o novo posiciontamento da marca começou com o velho estilo de filme-manifesto, baseado no poema de quatro versos “America”, de Walt Whitman. O comercial utiliza, inclusive, a gravação original de Whitman feita em 1890 com um cilindro fonográfico.
A grandiloquência e visão otimista do mundo não é original, obviamente, mas tem a missão de afirmar a Levi’s, mais uma vez, como uma grande propriedade norte-americana, pioneira, romântica e idealista.
Até ontem, a campanha trazia duas seções colaborativas no site goforth.levi.com, “The New Declaration” e “The New Americans”, em que as pessoas podiam alterar o manifesto original e enviar fotos que demonstrem o retrato da América (do Norte).
Agora, a Levi’s inaugura a expedição “Fortune”, mais uma espécie de caça ao tesouro que integra online e mundo real. Um personagem chamado Grayson Ozias IV’s enterrou, em 1896, uma fortuna avaliada em US$ 100.000. Amigo próximo de Nathan Strauss (um dos sobrinhos de Levi Strauss) Ozias desapareceu, mas deixou uma série de gravações que conduziram os pesquisadores ao tesouro enterrado.
A Levi’s convida as pessoas a seguirem o mesmo caminho, e através das palavras de Ozias encontrarem a fortuna escondida. Quando achada, a mesma quantia em dinheiro será doada para uma instituição de caridade. Além do conteúdo no site, o perfil no Twitter de Grayson Ozias IV’s deve ajudar os interessados pelo tesouro.
Mais do que palavras de ordem e belos poemas, nada como dinheiro para realmente convencer as pessoas a seguirem em frente. Abaixo você pode ver o vídeo que apresenta a caça ao tesouro:
Across the country, along with celebrating Memorial Day, Levi’s is once again breaking out their white clothing line. It is now officially OK towear white shoes, white pants, and even a white belt, if necessary. However, to some Levi’s stores, not only does white symbolize Memorial Day, “the correct day” to begin wearing white, the white knot,symbolizing solidarity for gay marriage is also on display in many stores.
Developed by Frank Voci, a digital media consultant, as a response to Proposition 8’s passage last November,the White Knot for Equality is a white ribbon tied in a knot.
Levi Strauss & Company has long supported equal rights for gays. Headquarted in San Francisco, Levi Strauss is to sponsor a programming block on MTV-owned Logo channel, and was involved in marketing “Milk,” the movie featuring the life of gay civil rights leader, Harvey Milk.
“We always try to connect to the energy and events of our time,” said Erica Archambault, Levi’s director of brand marketing and public relations. “What’s the pioneering spirit of today? A lot of people are rallying around marriage equality and fighting for that and so many individuals within our company feel so strongly about it.”
Before the Banana Republic (and knockoffs) revolution, Levi’s were the jean to wear.
However, their stance on this controversial issue may cause Levi Strauss to lose market share from the conservative side of America.
On the other hand, they are raking in a ton of publicity.
Jeff Louis: Strategic Media Planner, Project Manager, and New Business Account Coordinator. His passion is writing. If you would like to get in touch with Jeff, please leave a reply or follow the links: www.linkedin.com or www.twitter.com.
Para mostrar de onde vem a inspiração para criar suas coleções, a Levi’s decidiu apostar em conteúdo de vídeo na internet. Através do Enxame, que também produz os Braincasts TV que você assiste por aqui, colocaram no ar um videocast dentro da campanha “Unbuttoned”.
A primeira série de vídeos contará sobre as referências da marca em sua coleção 2009, baseada nas culturas do Marrocos e de Cuba. No mês que vem, a Levi’s estréia uma nova série de videocasts dentro do projeto “Levi’s Music”.
Assista o primeiro episódio abaixo, e acompanhe os outros no Enxame.TV. A criação é da agência centoeseis.
Looks like Levis is up to something again. With the hopes of pushing the value of the fibers used in most of Levis’ jeans line, making their ads more realistic and appealing has been done via taxicabs through a three-dimensional design approach.
These three-dimensional displays of an unbuttoned pair of iconic Levi’s 501 jeans, has been installed atop 400 taxicabs in New York City, and is believed to be the first of its kind anywhere for taxicab advertising.
“Never before have we seen this sort of excitement and reaction from a taxitop campaign. Our taxi drivers are asked constantly about the displays,” said John Amato, president of Show Media. “Already we have three other clients lined up to produce similar executions for them. We are so pleased that we could make something like this happen for one of our clients during this crucial holiday season.”
One thing you will notice in advertising these days is that many companies look at the available talent in the market to cast in commercial productions. But the real question is, do you really need to pay high costing ads to make sure that they get the right mix in producing these ads?
There are various ways to get through commercial advertising and this can be done through creative wizardry. You just have to think outside the box, use resources like technology and representation in other forms such as this one which makes use of balloon dolls that can capture the whole essence of the product being advertised.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
symbolizing solidarity for gay marriage is also on display in many stores.
