STUDS

TitleSTUDS
BrandLEVI'S
Product / ServiceLEVI'S
CategoryB01. Challenger Brand Strategy
EntrantGIGIL Manila, THE PHILIPPINES
Idea Creation GIGIL Manila, THE PHILIPPINES

Credits

Name Company Position
Herbert Hernandez GIGIL Chief Creative Officer
Badong Abesamis GIGIL Chief Creative Officer
Raphe Ramirez GIGIL Copywriter
Jeano Cruz GIGIL Copywriter
Jaime Yusingbo GIGIL Art Director
Greggy Gregorio GIGIL Social Strategist
Micco Balana GIGIL Account Executive
Isabel Prollamante GIGIL Managing Partner
Sasa Abella Freelance Agency Producer
Sig Bernardo Freelance Director
Tristan Salas Freelance Cinematographer
Sandra Santiago Freelance Editor
Mark Sangalang Freelance Editor
Teddy Katigbak Freelance Scorer
Roxanne Sipin Brand New Media Executive Producer

Why is this work relevant for Creative Strategy?

Levi's "Studs" qualifies as an entry in Creative Strategy because behind the moving piece of film lies keen strategic thinking. Not only did this yield great business results--it was also transformational, allowing the challenger brand a clear shot at reinvention.

Background

Levi's Philippines wanted to launch "The Tailor Shop" during the 2018 Christmas season with a digital film. The Levi's Tailor Shop is an in-store facility at which any denim bought at Levi's can be customized. The objectives of Levi's were: A. BRAND 1. Positively affect Filipinos’ attitudes/feelings towards Levi’s, as measured by: * Brand health sentiment (perception of the target market towards Levi’s); and, * Purchase intent (probability that the target market will buy Levi’s over the holiday period). B. COMMERCIAL/BUSINESS 2. Boost overall business during the Christmas season, as benchmarked against 2017 figures. The KPIs were: * Revenue increase due to The Levi’s Tailor Shop; and, * Sell-through growth (amount of inventory sold in a given period, relative to the amount of inventory received in the same period).

The Interpretation of the Challenge (30% of vote)

Nothing dampens a fashion brand’s street creds quicker than an association with an uncool market. Levi’s, with its images of Americana, and with years of patronage from older men, was deeply associated with dads and uncles. Not in a cool, vintage way, but in a way that prevented younger generations from seeing Levi’s as an option for them (unless their parents were taking them shopping and footing the bill). No thanks to this association, the brand was seen as old and run-of-the-mill, while newer fashion brands--like Uniqlo--managed to project youth and vibrancy.(1) To help address the business issue of being seen as an old brand, agency convinced challenger brand Levi’s that The Tailor Shop launch could be strategically used to reach out to the Millennial, riding on the trend of the personalization of products and services popular among them.(2)

The Insight / Breakthrough Thinking (30% of vote)

The launch of The Levi’s Tailor Shop was tied to the Christmas season. However, Christmas isn’t just a holiday to Filipinos--the Philippines has the longest Christmas season in the world. Starting September 1 and lasting until the Feast of the Three Kings in January of the next year(3), Christmas is both the biggest retail period(4)—and the most beloved time of year for Filipinos across ages.(5) Akin to China’s Chinese New Year, or India’s Diwali, Christmas to Filipinos isn’t just about gifts. It’s a season when Filipinos all over the world come home to relive decades-old family traditions, and create new ones with younger generations. Above all, it’s about love for family.(6) Christmas is soaked in tradition, memory, and emotion. Agency knew that the only way to deeply connect with Filipino Millennials was by telling a story about their truth, and culture.

The Creative Idea (20% of vote)

Drawing from personalization and Christmas, agency came up with The Idea: To increase Filipino Millennials’ love for Levi’s, Levi’s showed the brand loves them first—overlooking the things precious to Levi's, to value those precious to Filipino Millennials. Levi's shed its American image, and embraced the season beloved to Filipinos. Rather than a highly publicized, hard-sell approach, the team wanted to create a campaign that could gain traction organically. The best way to naturally connect with Filipinos was to tell a story that would deeply touch them, so efforts were focused on crafting a film that could live up to the Filipino spirit of Christmas—the spirit of unconditional love and acceptance.(7) With this, “Studs” was created—a film about a father and a son, and a customized Levi's jacket. Published on social media, the film highlighted the rewards of a personalized Christmas gift, in a way that was touching, relatable, and shareable.(8)

The Outcome / Results (20% of vote)

A. BRAND OBJECTIVES 1. Positively affect Filipinos’ attitudes towards Levi’s, as measured by: * Brand health sentiment RESULT: Millennials saw Levi’s as something their parents wore before the campaign. Thanks to "Studs," there was an 84-POINT IMPROVEMENT IN POSITIVE SENTIMENT TOWARD LEVI'S AMONG MILLENNIALS.(9) * Purchase intent RESULT: The improvement in brand health sentiment translated to a parallel rise of +80 POINTS IN PURCHASE INTENT DURING THE CHRISTMAS SEASON.(10) B. COMMERCIAL/BUSINESS OBJECTIVES 2. Boost overall business during the Christmas season, benchmarked against 2017 figures. The KPIs: * Revenue increase due to The Levi’s Tailor Shop. RESULT: All stores with The Levi’s Tailor Shop experienced AN AVERAGE GROWTH IN REVENUE OF 72% VS. THEIR 2017 SALES FIGURES.(11) * Sell-through growth RESULT: The brand’s sell-through growth also INCREASED BY 15.6% COMPARED TO THE 2017 CHRISTMAS SEASON.(12) MOST IMPORTANTLY, OVERALL LEVI'S HOLIDAY SEASON SALES INCREASED BY 16% IN 2018 (VS. 2017).(13)

Please tell us about the challenger brand and how your campaign challenged / was different from your competitors

Levi's was seen in the Philippines as a has-been--worn by dads, it was a washed-up brand that had long fallen out of fashion. To future-proof its business, this challenger brand embraced the things important to Filipino Millennials--personalization(14) and their very culture. A brave move, the millennials noticed. Not only did actual sales fly because of the campaign, purchase intent among Filipino Millennials skyrocketed, too. More importantly, so did their brand health scores on Levi's.