LEVI STRAUSS | Odyssey | 2002
How Do You Advertise Something That Doesn't Look Like an Ad? / Levi's "Odyssey"
A young man opens a door and takes off running, bursting straight through a wall. That's the entire commercial—and it reportedly took six months and roughly 250 million yen to make. There's no explanation anywhere in it, yet somehow you understand exactly why he's running.
The problem
Back in 2002, Levi's had picked up a reputation as a brand for middle-aged men, and young people were steering clear of it. BBH was handed the job of turning that image around. The spot was positioned as the second installment in the Engineered Jeans line, following the previous year's "Twist."
The insight
The bet behind this campaign was that you might not need to show the product at all to get across the feeling of "wearing something and moving." If you film the urge itself—running, smashing through walls—the freedom of the jeans should land harder than any words could. Choosing Handel, not yet a go-to choice for young audiences at the time, was part of that same bet: a refusal to pander with rock music.
The idea
A young man opens a door, steps back, then breaks into a run. He bursts through the door, then through the wall of the next room, then the next. Eventually a second runner, a woman, joins him, and the two finally stop, gasping for breath. Director Jonathan Glazer combined practical special effects with what was then cutting-edge CGI, having the two actors sprint full-tilt through 16 real walls. At the very end, just one line appears: "Freedom to move."
What happened
According to BBH's creative director, sales grew significantly after the campaign aired, especially among 15-to-25-year-olds, and the jeans reportedly sold one million pairs at the fastest pace in the company's history. The campaign picked up a string of awards, including Gold in Film at Cannes Lions 2002, along with honors from the One Show and D&AD.
Afterthought
The shoot was reportedly so punishing that the production team later said just getting to a finished film felt like an achievement in itself. It's an ad for jeans where you barely see any jeans—and yet the feeling of being free to move comes through as clearly as it possibly could. It's a reminder that you can talk about a product without ever really showing it.
Awards
- Cannes Lions Gold 2002
