Beyoncé Levi's New Ad Campaign: A Closer Look

First came the song – now the campaign.

When Beyoncé's “Cowboy Carter” album was released in April, her take on country got the most attention. But at Levi's headquarters in San Francisco, home of the 501, there was one track in particular that got all the attention: a duet with Post Malone called “Levii's Jeans.”

The brand immediately celebrated the call online, changing its name on social media to “Levii's,” a nod to Queen Bey.

Kenny Mitchell, global chief marketing officer of the Levi's brand at Levi Strauss & Co., called it “at the pace of culture.” That began a back-and-forth that has now resulted in a multimedia advertising campaign based on Beyoncé's star power and Levi's rich legacy.

The “Reiimagine” campaign will reimagine some of Levi’s most iconic advertisements. It starts with a commercial from 1985 in which a young man goes into a laundromat, takes off his Levi's and waits in his underwear for his jeans to be washed.

But in the updated version, Beyoncé struts her stuff and puts a strong female figure center stage with utmost confidence.

“My song 'Levii's Jeans' celebrates, in my opinion, the ultimate Americana uniform – something we all wear with pride,” said Beyoncé. “It is an honor to work with Levi's to create quintessentially American iconography. Denim on denim has often been seen through a male lens, so this reinterpretation of the campaign that celebrates the iconic female perspective is important to me. I look forward to exploring innovative ways to bring together our visions to empower women and celebrate their strength.”

The campaign includes television, out-of-home, digital, social media, print, brand activations and exclusive products. It launched last week with a teaser on Levi's Instagram account and digital projections in key markets including San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Atlanta, Paris and Berlin.

Future spots will play with other familiar Levi's looks, from western styles to trucker jackets to shorts.

“This campaign celebrates two icons,” Levi’s Mitchell said in an interview. “It is inspired by Levi’s and our unparalleled history and impact over time, as well as Beyoncé, a culture-defining artist and icon.”

Beyoncé has worked with Levi's before, when the brand hired her former group Destiny's Child to help market super-low-cut jeans in 2001. (In a sign of the times, Mitchell noted that the campaign included a mixtape as a gift with purchase).

But Beyoncé continues to wear Levi's and wore a pair of the brand's shorts during her 2018 Coachella performance, which was captured in Homecoming: A Beyoncé Film.

This placement was “organic” and did not require payment, Mitchell said.

“She chose to wear them,” he said. “For me this is a good sign of their interest in the brand.

“Levi's equips and continues to equip the changemakers of the world, the Originals as we call them, the icons,” Mitchell said. “We like to say that we are like the unofficial uniform of progress and people moving forward – in search of something better, big or small.”

The campaign addresses issues that are important not only to Levi's, but also to the brand's parent company, Levi Strauss & Co.

Women account for about a third of Levi's business, and there are plans to increase that share to about 50 percent.

Michelle Gass, who took over as chief executive officer of the company in January, said in June that the women's business was a “big highlight” in the second quarter, with sales up 22 percent in the global direct-to-consumer business and 30 percent in the U.S

“We’re sharpening our focus and really expanding our agenda here,” Gass said.

And that was before the brand brought Beyoncé on board.