Mktg - Levi's creative goes into Play

Levi's 'Change' by BBH.
BOSTON Levi Strauss late Tuesday said it had initiated a review of its Levi's creative business in the Americas region and would invite Bartle Bogle Hegarty in New York, the Publicis Groupe-backed agency that has served as lead shop on the brand since 2001, to defend.

Levi's spends about $70 million annually on ads, per Nielsen Monitor-Plus.

The San Francisco-based client said in a brief statement said "a small selection of U.S. agencies has been identified and will be invited to pitch the business. A decision is expected by mid-December." The review will not affect BBH's standing as lead agency for Levi's in Europe or the Asia-Pacific region, the client added.

Consultancy Jones Lundin Beals in Chicago is assisting Levi's with the search.

Levi's launched a separate media review in late August. Interpublic Group's Initiative handles all buying. Planning is split between IPG's DraftFCB (Dockers) and BBH (Levi's).

At the time the media pitch began, a client rep declined to comment on whether the incumbents were defending and characterized the review as "standard operating procedure. It's something we do with all of our vendor relationships from time to time." A decision on media chores is expected later in the fall.

On the creative front, several Levi's efforts this year have captured attention. One such spot was called "Change," by BBH, which featured alternate endings -- one showing a man walking off with a woman, another showing him walking off with a man.

The client also made headlines with a viral video developed by project shop Cutwater. Called, "Jumpin' In," the clip featuring agile youths who appeared to back-flip into jeans held aloft by their buddies. The video garnered 3.5 million hits in 10 days. Cutwater also produced a cinematic 90-second spot, "Onion Peel," that showed the reverse transformation of a glamorous supermodel into an average woman wearing Levi's jeans.

More recently, a somewhat raunchy Web push by EVB garnered news items in mainstream media and mentions on late-night talk shows for its "crotch humor" aimed at young males.