8.21.2007

Levi's Ad Switcheroo

We've probably all seen the new Levi's commercial where the guy pulls a pair of jeans on and the street level magically rises to his apartmenr (or vice versa). This MSNBC article talks about how that ad has two versions: a gay and a straight one. One is made to air on regular television, while the other will air on specifically gay-targeted programming and channnels.

I agree with many things in this article, from "who still uses a phone booth?" to Levi's marketing VP, Robert Cameron, who says this idea shouldn't be a big deal. He's right, it shouldn't be but it is.

I, for one, look forward to the day (to badly paraphrase Martin Luther King, Jr.) when people don't look to the color of someone's skin or their choice for a lover, but rather the content of the (pick one) character/story/idea. But we've a long way to go.

  • Click once for straight, twice for gay


  • P.S. I always thought the woman in this ad was hot, but that her ass, as seen in the shot at the end when they're walking off together into the night, seemed a little...lacking in female attributes... I'm just sayin'

    2 comments:

    Anonymous said...

    Something about these ads - besides the straight/gay thing - is so pretentious I find them barely watchable. The idea is so layered in technique it is lost. Just sayin'.

    The Artistic Mercenary™ said...

    I agree, Sean, I do think they seem a little too mesmerized by how they were doing the ad. What I liked about them was the idea of taking one concept and executing two different ways for different audiences. But, yes, the execution is poor.