The U.K….early 1980s… Levis is a brand in the doldrums. Having had enjoyed a favourable position for decades, it’s now outdated; washed-up (and I'm not talking stone, that comes later). In sum, the brand just simply isn’t cool anymore. Fast forward a couple of years and the silk worm has turned the Levis brand is enjoying a resurgence and is the name in denim. Uncool, cool again. But how?

In short, with some very smart thinking. Levis had appointed the newly formed London creative shop, Bartle Bogle Hegarty, as its advertising agency.  The BBH approach was to, as they called it, zig when everyone else zagged. They turned a negative into a positive. Levis, the outdated, uncool jeans your parents grew up in, became Levis 501s: The original jeans.  Re-launched on the back of some stylish TV commercials featuring 50's fantasy Americana, James Dean look-alikes and soul tunes, the brand quickly appealed to young trendsetters.

There was more than taglines and catchy music at work here though. Strategists behind the campaign had observed that U.K. style gurus were steering a new movement based on retro cool. The Face, at the time a very influential style magazine, had been quite instrumental in exposing the rockabilly and buffalo hard times themes emerging in the aftermath of new-romanticism. Levis very neatly climbed aboard and rode into a new era by the seat of its pants.

Unfortunately, Levis is the exception and not the rule. There are countless examples of brands getting it wrong and attempting to manipulate trends with youth-oriented campaigns based around what they perceive is cool. (The current McDonald’s global push being the latest?) 

Who decides when uncool should become cool again? It’s often a form of social evolution. The young become tired of current trends (usually when they get a whiff of commercial interest) and seek to create new ones. Sometimes it’s triggered by fashion designers or it’s something born on the streets. Look at how hip-hop culture has influenced any number of looks, and how brands have been astute enough to click and adapt accordingly Nike, Adidas, Burberry being some obvious examples.

There’s even a whole new generation of cognac drinker in the U.S.A. thanks to constant references to the nac in hip-hop circles. You think Moet-Hennessey would have listened to me two years ago if I told them to place ads in inner-city neighborhoods instead of Fortune magazine? They might now

Fact is, it’s very difficult, almost impossible, for brands to invent cool and lead fashion. Typically, advertisers attempt and fail to wear their less than sincere strategies on their sleeves, while countless others jump on the bandwagon after it’s too late. Nonetheless, sometimes with careful research and insights you can get a whiff of upcoming trends and adapt to ride them  and that’s where, every so often, advertisers get it right.

Personally, I’m still waiting to pull out my Member’s Only jacket. You laugh, but in a few years, you’ll be doing the same unless of course, they decide to advertise it.