"LEVI's" the jean of the Blue Collar Blogger

The ad is a black and white picture of a black male with dreads, and a younger male family member. The grown male is getting dressed for work and the young boy is helping him put on his shirt. The young boy is standing on the bed to help the older male button his shirt, they are in a scarcely furnished bedroom. There are white words written across the picture that says “Everyone’s work is equally important.” The traditional Levi’s tag is under the words “Braddock, PA” in the lower right hand corner.
To thoroughly analyze this ad I will be using the Frith method

Surface Meaning:
A black father and son are up and getting ready for another day of work.

Intended Meaning
Levi’s is for EVERY man; even a black man and his son in Braddock PA. Regardless of your occupation Levi’s jeans are intended for men who work. This ad is selling a lifestyle, or implying that they represent a lifestyle. The lifestyle represented in this ad is one of men who take care of their family and work.

Cultural or Ideological Meaning
First, the fact that Levi’s shows a black man who lives with his son getting up early to go to work breaks two cultural stereotypes immediately. Traditionally, this ad would feature a white man and his son. Second, the son is not helping the father put on a tie, he’s simply putting on a denim shirt over denim jeans to go to work. Where does the father work? Construction worker? Store owner? Drug Dealer? Because the location is written in the bottom right corner and Braddock PA is a small town, destitute old “American” city, it is expected that most of the men who live there work “blue collar” jobs. The ironic part is that Braddock is a town that became destitute after the loss of those “blue collar” jobs, I.E factories, and steel mills. So where is this young father really going off to this early in the morning? That depends on the reader. The Walt Whitman’s quote “Everyone’s work is important” really plays with the reader’s mind. Young black male with no suit or tie going to work, reads as if his “work” is illegal. That plays into the stereotype of black men not having “corporate or desirable” jobs. But at the same time, the use of the Walt Whitman quotes implies that even if your job is “illegal” it’s still important. Also, because this “illegal” job is not blatant, the ad really plays with the readers mind. If you assume he’s going to sell drugs on the corner, what does this say about the reader? If the ad featured a young white, or Asian father would it be assumed that his “work” was to sell drugs?

In the bedroom, there are no pictures on the wall only a lone lamp and a window with the blind pulled down. There is no headboard on the bed either. This bedroom implies that they are a working class family and possibly poor. There are also no women present; this gives the ad a male bonding feeling. The father could quite possibly be a single dad. It also evokes nostalgic images being that the picture is in black and white and the father is up early going to work. This ad stands out and grabs the reader attention subtly because it plays on the assumption that the average reader subscribes to stereotypes. One being that black men aren’t in their children’s life, and that they don’t work. Both stereotypes are challenged in this ad. I think it would be less surprising if it were a black women getting up early and her child helping her put on her clothes. The fact that the company behind the ad is Levi’s also speaks volumes about what direction they are trying to go with this campaign. The complete underlying message would be something like “although you are a young single poor black father living in destitute Braddock PA, you should still buy Levi’s.”
Levi’s would like for the reader to think that the most important part of this ad is the connection between the father and son; i.e. raising a child, parenthood. The connection between father and son stands out the most in the picture; the jeans are actually cut off in the ad. However, everything about the ad evokes seriousness and almost sadness; neither men are smiling, they look almost tired. As if they both know they have a long hard day ahead of them. While these are parts of parenthood, it makes me wonder if the focus of the ad was really about “parenthood” if so, why don’t they look happier? Anyway, the ad effectively touches the reader while coming across as a social statement rather than an advertisement. And I actually like it.

“Go Forth?”
While this is a very nice ad, it’s the ONLY print ad that solely features a black father and son. And the ad was featured on a billboard in Oakland. Targeting much "Levi's"?
Apparently there is a quite a buzz about Levi’s new go forth campaign. When the campaign was first launched by Wieden+Kennedy for Levi’s it featuring young white skinny hipsters running through traditionally “American” green pastures and fields with inspirational quotes scribbled across the ads like “All I Need is all I Got” and “This country was not built by men in suits”. While the intentions seemed nice, the problem was the lack of ethnicities featured in the campaign. And of the minorities represented, they felt specifically placed, the campaign in general felt very contrived. Also, in most of the advertisements, the words were about “working” but the people in the ad were playing and running. The campaign had all the right images to effectively get a point across but they did a horrible job at portraying sincerity.

Take II

With the revitalization of the campaign “Levi’s” has made Braddock , PA the setting for all of its advertisements. This city is going through its own revitalization; it’s lost 90% of its populations since it closed most of its factories in the 70’s and the 80’s. Most of the new Levi ads feature the landscape of Braddock and some citizens. However, the campaign has led a few to believe there is an actual Levi’s factory in Braddock, which is completely untrue. But the company had vowed to donate 2 million to the city over two years. It also sponsors an hour long show that will be played on IFC and the Sundance Channel which highlights the city’s revitalization efforts. So, kudos to you, “Levi’s”.
However, everyone knows no good deed goes unpunished. The cynical American public seems to distrust this sudden interest in a small town. Apparently, it’s believed that “Levi’s” is exploiting the poverty Braddock PA to come across as a socially conscious big corporation (as if that’s possible). Some believe that if “Levi’s” really wants to help Braddock they should open an actual factory there; since “Levi’s” claims there jeans are made in America (they’re actually made in Mexico). The biggest concern from the public is the transparency in the campaign. “Levi’s” is trying to come across as a sincere company that cares and in turn is coming across as the opposite. At least to people who only see the ads. The ad I described before is powered by shock value, “Levi’s” is playing on the concept that no one would expect an ad featuring a black father and son from an historically “white” brand. The ad campaign is so spectacular that the print ads look like “hipster” postcards. But, is that really a bad thing? “Levi’s” is obviously targeting the young college age “individual” who believes they can change their world from their Mac-book. The only problem is that the “blue collar work ethic” "Levi's" is promoting in their ads is something their target audience knows nothing about.

Frith, Katherine. Undressing the Ad: Reading Culture in Advertising Retrived November 3, 2010. (http://blackboard.umbc.edu/bbcswebdav/courses/MCS222_4106_FA2010/Frith1.pdf)