Dive Brief:
- Levi’s has teamed with Beyoncé for a new campaign titled “Reiimagine” that will reinterpret several of the brand’s iconic advertisements, according to a press release.
- The first chapter in the campaign reworks the 1985 ad “Launderette” with the global icon in the lead role and direction by filmmaker Melina Matsoukas. The effort includes television, out-of-home, digital, social media, print, brand activations and exclusive products.
- Levi’s partnership with Beyoncé comes after the singer included a song, “Levii’s Jeans,” on her country music-inspired album “Cowboy Carter” in March. The culturally embedded campaign was created with agency TBWA\Chiat\Day LA and produced by de la Revolućion/Prettybird.
Dive Insight:
Levi’s latest campaign puts the denim marketer at the forefront of pop culture thanks to the megawatt star power of Beyoncé, connecting its longstanding brand identity with a figure who has become a force in the worlds of music, art and fashion. The brand hopes the campaign will support the growth of its women’s business as the “definitive denim lifestyle brand,” said Kenny Mitchell, global chief marketing officer of the Levi’s brand at Levi Strauss & Co.
“The Levi’s brand has and always will be the unofficial uniform for those moving forward in the pursuit of better. We believe a key part of that is continuously breaking and building the codes of culture,” Mitchell said in a statement.
The partnership has been rumored since Levi’s last week promised “A New Chapter” on Instagram with a silhouette that resembled Beyoncé, and has seemed inevitable since the singer name-dropped the brand on her latest album. “Levii’s Jeans” soundtracks the first chapter of the new campaign in a spot that sees Beyoncé recreating "Launderette," confidently stripping off her jeans and waiting until they wash as a male model did in the original spot while onlookers gawk.
“Denim on denim has often been seen through a male lens, so this reimagining campaign, which celebrates the iconic female perspective, is important to me,” Beyoncé said in the press release.
The first spot was directed by longtime Beyoncé collaborator Matsoukas with cinematography by Emmy Award-winner Marcell Rév. Levi’s also worked with photographer Mason Poole on the campaign.
The fully integrated effort will roll out over a variety of traditional and digital channels and kicked off with digital projections in key markets including San Francisco, Houston, Chicago, New York City, Atlanta, Paris, London and Berlin. Additional out-of-home elements launch Monday around the world.
Levi’s in March (just days before the release of "Cowboy Carter," coincidentally) debuted a campaign titled “The Floor Is Yours” centered around the idea of the brand as the “unofficial uniform” for progress. The effort was the first work from creative and social agency of record TBWA\Chiat\Day, the shop that helped create “Reiimagine.”
Levi Strauss & Co. in reported an 8% year-over-year increase in net revenues in Q2, with a 17% increase in the Americas. President and CEO Michelle Gass attributed the growth, in part, to Levi’s “prominence at the center of culture.”
Levi’s is not the only brand that is looking to boost its denim offerings through country-western marketing. Competitor Wrangler this month returned to national broadcast TV and kicked off its first global advertising campaign with a spot that focused on its Western heritage.
