GO FORTH

I can't recall ever seeing an advertising campaign that truly stirred any sort of emotion or feeling in my gut . Even with the best print ads or television spots, they have never evoked anything in me beyond maybe a comment- "oh that was kind of cool/original/well done", and then it is immediately forgotten.

But for the first major campaign they have done for Levi's, Wieden & Kennedy has changed that with "Go Forth":

As the sweat of New World desperation enveloped the West Coast of America in 1873, the Levi's brand was born. In recent times, the deep sense of purpose that birthed America has been obscured. Now is a time of self-reckoning, not dissimilar to the America of back when. With the words of Walt Whitman, Levi's is using inspiration of old for new times. Whitman was an optimist at a time when it was easier to be a pessimist and believed in the strength of the individual. He lived through the Civil War, one of the darkest periods in American history, and drew strength from the struggle.

The two television spots created for the campaign are stunning, and I regard them as two pieces of great short cinema, rather than "commercials" (a title that also is used to describe what the Sham Wow guy does.)

First there is "America", directed by Cary Fukunaga, who burst onto the scene this year with his first film "Sin Nombre".



But my favorite is Portland filmmaker M.Blash's "O Pioneers":



Check out the print ads as well, on Wieden & Kennedy's blog.