Levi's: Who Do You Want To Unbutton?

Levi's "Who Do You Want to Unbutton?"

"Who Do You Want To Unbutton?"

This ad came out for Levi's in 2009, but I never saw it in an actual consumer publication. I was reading my marketing book last week when suddenly I saw this and did a double take.

"Wait, why is there a picture of public masturbation in my textbook?"

A second glance told me I had been mistaken, but it certainly got me to stop and look. I can't help but feel that was what the ad agency was hoping for.

For trendy and empowered young women.

 A good way to identify an ad's target audience is to look at the person you see in the ad. In this case, a young white woman, perhaps one with aspirations of leaving her small time life to make it big in the city. Maybe she wants to be an artist, or maybe she just wants to be in control of her own life.

The way she's standing with her hand almost in an interesting position, her lack of concern about the way her shirt is coming up, and that expression she has say a lot. Those things say that she's not afraid to express her sexuality, not ashamed to say who she wants to unbutton. She's sexually liberated and empowered, and you just have to deal with that.

But that's not all the ad says.

Also for trendy young men who would like to unbutton trendy and empowered young women.

I can't be the only one who thought she was masturbating at first glance. But then I read the text next to her and realized she was an independent and empowered woman. Why is that text in such a hard to read font?

When I stopped to consider this, the sheer audacity of it impressed me. On one hand, we have a sexy, sexually liberated young woman who is not afraid to say what she wants. On the other, we have a sexy young woman presented as meat. And they are the exact same picture. Why is the text about her sexual empowerment so hard to read again?

So what is being promised?

If you're a young woman, the ad offers you quite a bit:

• Buying Levi's will empower you. 

• Buying Levi's will make you sexy. 

• Buying Levi's might even help you escape your small town life and make it in the city. 

If you're a young man you can still get quite a bit from Levi's products, like young women to unbutton. Or young women who want to unbutton you. I guarantee you the latte boy was wearing Levi's. 

Feel like buying some jeans now?

No, but maybe I'm the wrong person to ask. I'm not hip. I'm not trendy. I don't know what clothing brands I wear or am currently wearing. Most importantly, I know young women will have no interest in unbuttoning me regardless of what I'm wearing. Sorry Levi's, you're talking to the wrong person here.

That aside, I can see why the promises made could be appealing. Who doesn't want to feel empowered and in control of their life or get laid?