LEVI STRAUSS & CO. | ID | 1999
This Is an Ad Starring a Puppet / LEVI STRAUSS & CO. "ID"
In 1999, a yellow puppet took over the world. Riding in a beat-up blue car, bobbing its head to a techno beat. When the police pull them over, it shows its ID, just like that. Human or puppet, both totally normal. Nobody ever bothered explaining the absurdity of it all.
The insight
In the late '90s, Levi's and BBH kept living out their "when the world zigs, zag" philosophy. Instead of a beautiful human, the hero of the ad is a fuzzy yellow puppet. How crazy that is, and how right it is at the same time. The story goes that it took three tries to convince the client, and honestly, that detail says it all.
The idea
A puppet named Flat Eric and a man named Angel drive through California. The soundtrack is a techno beat by Mr. Oizo (Quentin Dupieux). A police officer pulls them over, and they show their ID. The puppet has an ID too, that's it. The absurdity is played completely straight, with humor. The man's cool look in his Sta-Prest pants against the beat-up car is the image that sticks with you.
Afterthought
I couldn't track down detailed numbers on the results, but there's no question this puppet burned itself into culture. The courage to believe in absurdity. A client willing to allow it. You can feel the resolve of everyone who made this coming right through the screen. Today, I want to believe in absurdity too.
Awards
- Cannes Lions Gold 1999
