Marketing Insight: thinking back to when jeans weren’t a wardrobe staple
It’s hard to believe now that, only 40 years ago, there would be a problem with the sale of jeans as today the likes of Levi’s, Wranglers and even a trusty M&S pair are an everyday staple in almost all our wardrobes.
But if we go back to the 80’s, possibly the greatest decade for fashion (in my opinion), there was an explosion of youth culture. New Romantics, Soulboys, Young Casuals, Goths. You could find your tribe, the weirder the better. The problem was that none of these tribes were wearing jeans.
Back then, in the US, Levi’s was associated with Ronald Reagan (i.e. old people)! Meanwhile in the UK, you had to look really hard to actually find jeans, usually in Millets.
Ultimately, year-on-year sales for the former market leader, Levi’s, had decreased by 46% over four years. And the 501, Levi’s original jean from 1873, had suffered more than any other product.
So, what did they do?
On Boxing Day 1985 the now iconic ‘launderette ad’ aired.
Nick Kamen enters a laundrette, takes off his Ray Bans, fills a washing machine with rocks, removes his t-shirt & jeans and puts them in the machine too. He then simply sits back and waits for the cycle to finish. The end line reads: “501 the original shrink to fit jeans”.
The ad was deemed to be creative, raunchy and cool. Importantly, it sold van loads of jeans! It not only launched Nick Kamen’s career but also boosted sales of boxer shorts. In fact, it made such an impact that the ad had to be pulled as production could not keep up with demand. There was an astonishing 800% rise in sales.
