PUBLIC SCHOOL

Yeah, I agree. Beautiful commercial, but there’s something about it that does leave you feeling pretty gross. Here’s an interesting article about Braddock, PA, the town mentioned in the ad. Surprise, there’s no Levi’s factory there: Link

Oh, and here’s a whole mess of links and articles and opinions: Link

Frank Chimero tweeted about a nice list for when you’re trying to “buy American”:

http://www.acontinuouslean.com/the-american-list/

In my opinion another case of advertising efforts having a disconnect to the business they are advertising. But that’s the nature of advertising right? Just like movies and books, advertising is another form of entertainment, glamorized for public consumption. There is a small chance that the ad agency knows the socioeconomic downfalls of the company (I’m sure the client does and that might be why they choose something like this), but should they want to address them in something meant for public consumption and build the company’s brand? No way. I don’t think beautiful ads are the place to address those “negative” issues.

I’m not so much offended by the closing of factories. People here don’t want to make jeans for a living and the definitely don’t want to pay for them to be made for ten bucks an hour. Levi’s makes jeans in Viet Nam so they can make money. They aren’t in the biz just for the love of making jeans. Never have been.

What I’m offended by is watching clothing models “work”. Get some real people in there. Not everybody is gorgeous with six pack abs. I’m not saying there should be fat people wearing mom jeans, just maybe a dude who looks like he might have actually worked in his life.

It seems a bit disingenuous to sell yourself as aligned with working class America, by producing your product in countries that nary know a middle class lifestyle.

The honest reality is that though they could produce jeans in the U.S. they would lose profit. Just like anyone from small business to corporation they have to control costs whether that be letting the slacker kid go or letting the slacker CEO go.

Reinvesting in America isn’t a law. Despite the buy local movements most people could care less. The encouraging news is more people may be caring and therein lies the opportunity.

The old can’t necessarily change and perhaps they shouldn’t be paralleling themselves with this part of America. If you think that say so. They can always go back to dudes slipping out windows.

If you want to make real change, start your own local denim company. Pitch it to Kickstarter, have a solid plan and expect it to be hard, but if you’re Pro-American and hell bent on local you gotta make it happen if you want to prove Levis wrong.

Realizing that opinion is what is robbing this world of ingenuity.

Once we figure out if this spot is hypocritical, let’s figure out just how much it’s tries to be “Days of Heaven.”

Yeah, it does seem like a little from column A and a little from column B. It’s a well crafted expression of an idea that’s dishonest / inaccurate.

This ad mostly made me sleepy and reminded me how much I hate waking up.

Yes the ad is disingenuous. But it’s also selling a feeling that we’d all like to feel. I’d like to live in a world where this is true. Buy the jeans and maybe I can.

It’s still a beautiful ad.

We want to be paid more but we don’t want to pay more. We are spoiled. We want more for our tax dollars but don’t want to raise taxes. We don’t see our country as “we”. We see it as ours and want it for us but not for everyone else.

I like the commercial. It is about people doing something good for their community whether it’s fiction or not. It is inspiring. It is ok to be inspired by fiction.

Besides, even if Levi’s aren’t made here, they are worn here.

You advertise TO the people you want to target WITH the people you want to target. Would you feel as inspired if they used a bunch of people from Vietnam in a Vietnamese city doing the same thing? OMG – what if it was also in Vietnamese and had subtitles?

I had a similar sense of confusion/inspiration by the new campaign (not just this TV spot) as a whole. I’m impressed with the lengths Levi’s and W+K have pushed this campaign to “do good.” They used real people from Braddock for the spots (not models, so I’ve been told). Also, Levi’s is launching an aggressive and creative (IMHO) campaign of workshops in a few cities around the US. The workshops are a creative way to give back to local nonprofits and foster involvement in the community. There’s one in San Francisco right now (http://workshops.levi.com).

Can a consumer brand ever do any real good? I think it’s a step in the right direction. We wouldn’t be talking about this campaign if it was just another pretty face selling jeans.

Such a good ad with a disconnect on their own corporate reality and mission.

I feel it’s fair that they outsource the labor if it allows them to create a good pair of jeans that is accessible to the market that needs them and wears them most. In a sense, they are celebrating the ‘worker’ by selling a solid pair of $30 jeans, even if that same worker isn’t necessarily making those jeans.

Products made in America have become luxury items. Levi’s makes their premium jeans, like the Levi’s Vintage Clothing line, or the recently announced Brooks Brothers collaboration (http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-levis-brand-and-brooks-brothers-collaborate-on-an-exclusive-collection-of-jeans-made-in-the-usa-99549659.html) in America, but they cost hundreds of dollars.

Either way, the ad is awesome and emotional.

[...] Authenticity and “work” have been major parts of Levi’s ad concepts lately, with their recent “We Are All Workers” campaign. The rhetoric is a little unusual in a country where manufacturing has been on such a steady decline. Our Austin photographer Jay B Sauceda debated the pros and cons of the campaign on the Public School blog. [...]