'UNBUTTONED' THE MAGAZINE

Title'UNBUTTONED' THE MAGAZINE
BrandLEVI STRAUSS (HONG KONG)
Product / ServiceLEVI'S 501
CategoryB02. Consumer Products
EntrantTBWA\TEQUILA\HONG KONG, HONG KONG
Entrant Company:TBWA\TEQUILA\HONG KONG, HONG KONG
Advertising Agency:TBWA\TEQUILA\HONG KONG, HONG KONG
Media Agency:OMD HONG KONG, HONG KONG

Credits

Credits

Name Company Position
Mark Ringer TBWA\ Tequila\ Hong Kong Executive Creative Director
Joseph Mok TBWA\ Tequila\ Hong Kong Associate Creative Director
Law Chi Hang TBWA\ Tequila\ Hong Kong Associate Creative Director
Ronald Tin TBWA\ Tequila\ Hong Kong Art Director
Calvin Chow TBWA\ Tequila\ Hong Kong Copywriter
Florence Kong TBWA\ Tequila\ Hong Kong Director Of Client Service
Pauline Wong TBWA\ Tequila\ Hong Kong Senior Account Director
Carmela Yung TBWA\ Tequila\ Hong Kong Account Manager
Caroline Chan OMD Hong Kong General Manager

Results and Effectiveness

THE RELEASE WAS STAGGERED OVER THREE DAYS, BUT 'SOLD OUT' SIGNS STARTED TO APPEAR EARLY ON THE 2ND DAY. THE THIRD DAY WAS A SCRAMBLE AS PEOPLE SOUGHT TO GET THE LAST OF THE 10,000 LIMITED-EDITION PAIRS. BUT THAT WASN'T THE END OF THEM, IMMEDIATELY THE MINI 'UNBUTTONED' 501S STARTED APPEARING ON eBAY AND YAHOO. UP TO HK$180 (US$23) WAS BEING ASKED FOR SOMETHING THAT ORIGINALLY SOLD FOR JUST HK$15 (US$2). NATURALLY THIS COLLECTIBLE, NEW MEDIUM GENERATED DISCUSSIONS IN ONLINE FORUMS AND BLOGS AND ALSO ATTRACTED A LOT OF MEDIA INTEREST. WHAT'S MORE, 75% OF THE TARGET SAID THAT THIS 'PRINT AD' DRAMATICALLY RAISED THEIR INTEREST IN LEVI'S NEW 501 'UNBUTTONED' RANGE.

Creative Execution

THE CONCEPT INVOLVED PUTTING THE AD OUTSIDE THE MAGAZINE. WE COMPLETELY 'UNBUTTONED' HOW PRINT ADVERTISING IS APPROACHED. THE IDEA OF LITERALLY DOMINATING A MAGAZINE BY COVERING IT IN MINI 'UNBUTTONED' 501S WAS PITCHED TO ONE OF HONG KONG'S HOTTEST YOUTH MAGAZINES, EAST TOUCH. EAST TOUCH RESPONDED BY PROPOSING A SPECIAL DOUBLE-ISSUE. SO THE JEANS THEMSELVES BECAME THE COVER OF THE MAGAZINE AND READERS HAD TO UNBUTTON THEM TO GET THE MAGAZINE. MEDIA CHANNEL SELECTION WAS ALSO A BREAKTHROUGH. AFTER COMPLEX NEGOTIATIONS WITH 48 7-ELEVEN OUTLETS AND 15 NEWSSTANDS ACROSS HONG KONG, THE 'LIVE UNBUTTONED' PRINT IDEA COULD BE RELEASED IN AN UNRESTRAINED, BUT STRONGLY-BRANDED WAY.

Insights, Strategy and the Idea

TO LAUNCH THE NEW 'UNBUTTONED' RANGE OF 501 JEANS INTO THE HONG KONG MARKET, LEVI'S LOOKED TO MAINTAIN ITS SENSE OF ORIGINALITY AND INDIVIDUALITY, HOWEVER ENDLESS FUNDS WERE NOT AVAILABLE, SO A SIMPLE MAGAZINE CAMPAIGN WAS BRIEFED. 'LIVE UNBUTTONED' IS ABOUT EXPRESSING INDIVIDUALITY, LIVING OUTSIDE OF CONVENTIONS AND SHUNNING SOCIAL RESTRAINT. SO THE 501S HAD TO BE ADVERTISED IN THE MOST UNRESTRAINED WAY.