Giant global brands with great advertising also have their challenges

The Levi’s situation… The Levi’s brand has had a tough time in recent years. Competition, too many products, lack of product clarity, distribution issues, retail failures and marketing have all been cited as part of the world renowned brand’s ills. Levi’s Go Forth campaign (Wieden + Kennedy) has run in North America since 2009 and globally since 2011. The insight (from extensive worldwide research) driving the campaign is that youth today believe it is up to them to make positive change in the world. The Levi’s brand promise has always been about delivering clothing that allows customers to pursue their passions. Go Forth launched in the the U.S. with the Walt Whitman poem “Pioneers! Oh Pioneers!” celebrating the American spirit to make things happen and change (all while wearing Levi’s, of course). An early global Go Forth spot references “The Laughing Heart,” a poem by the late Charles Bukowski with images of riots that got it banned in a few countries.The print work (sampled above) has been stellar (to be expected with W + K). Simple, fresh and high energy. All the right stuff for Levi’s but yet, the denim giant continues to struggle. Shame, but they’re working on it. More to come we are sure…