Levi's Straight Walk


To watch them and decide what you think for yourself, go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kM9tl4Y_xY

The highly recognizable Levi’s “Straight Walk” commercial doesn’t only have a great concept to match their trendy straight leg jean, but it has a great soundtrack, Johnny Cash’s “I Walk the Line”. This artsy commercial keeps in Levi's theme of their past campaigns and their overall feel in all their advertisements. In the commerical, the 'straight walk' girl walks a straight line over a park bench, through a library, and unfaulteringly stops traffic when she meets her straight-walk-guy, in the middle of the street. There are male and female versions of the commercial, and at the end of each one, they meet their straight-walk-other.
I like this campaign and all the commercials in it, not only because the music is undeniably good, but after watching it over and over again for weeks, I haven’t yet said “if I see this commercial one more time, I will refuse to buy – whatever product’s commercial irks me”, which I have done many a time out of annoyance. The point of advertisements is to make people aware, make people go out and purchase, or to ‘remind’ them that it exists, making people give your brand or product a negative connotation because they are disgusted every time you see it, is not one of an advertisers’ goal. So I think that this commercial is far more than just successful. It portrays their product and brand in a recognizable, positive way that relays their theme and concept perfectly with their product. Their selection of song enhances their message and fits their ad like one might say, ‘a perfect pair of jeans’. I think that Bartle Bogel Hegarty of New York really proves to us that it was more than victorious because the commercial has longevity; something that many mediocre ads don’t have, and what all renowned ads (Absolut) have, the endurance to be more than a fad or temporary.
It is painfully clear that Levi’s is talking to the fashion savvy, or at least people that want to be. But it is more than just that because the ‘straight walk girl’ does things her way; which is also saying a lot about people who buy and wear these Levi’s: they don’t go with the flow, they are individuals. Shot in a wonderfully artistic and modern light, it is almost like a music video, and by far one of my favorites.

To read about it, go to:
http://www.duncans.tv/2006/levis-straight-walk-the-line

To read what others have to say, go to: http://www.adweek.com/aw/search/article_display.jsp?

What Color Does Weird Taste Like?

The opera singing rabbit, the beard that feeds the man candy, a kid with blender hands thinks he has a great idea, the tiger-elephant, Skittles has had some pretty surreal commercials, but this campaign takes the bizarre cake. The last couple of years, skittles has been making ads that are quite out of the ordinary, but this is probably the farthest out there yet. This seems to be a trend in the candy industry because Juicy Fruit and Starburst have done the ‘weird’ theme and even Burger King and Orbit has followed step. Most unusually is that not all of these products target the 15-17 audience, like skittles. At least Skittles are keeping consistent with a more immature subject matter.



TBWA\Chiat\Day came up with the campaign, dubbed one of the ‘Best Spots’ from Ad Week, and it has been getting a lot of coverage and buzz for its absurdity; which, in all likeliness, is even more absurd, because it works that well with Skittles’ multi-colored-ness. Although I have read a lot of short comments, mostly “WTF” or “I love it”, “It’s so funny”, it seems that people absolutely love it or they can’t stand to see it. No matter what, it is unforgettable, either in a good or bad way, and is certainly different. No matter what other odd commercials are airing, Skittles theme is consistent and therefore, they are easily attachted to that strangeness. Although I found no blogs or articles stating that people aboslutly hated the commericials that were more than a sentence long, I figured people did dislike them, but weren't adament enough to take time to write very much about it. The number of congratulatory articles and blogs far outweighted the negative. To see for yourself watch the commerical and tell me what you think...

To watch the commercials go to: http://www.skittles.com/advertising/index.jsp

And if you want to read about what others said about the commercial go to:
http://www.adjab.com/2006/10/12/ads-we-love-skittles-trade/; www.adweek.com; “Why Advertising Needs More Candy-Feeding Beards Ideas” Advertising Age http://adage.com/smallagency/article?article_id=111677