Why the ‘Go Forth’ Levi’s campaign is crap

Dear Dr. Willem Smit (and others that are very welcome to continue reading),

A friend pointed your blogpost out to me, and even re-posted it. I’m always keen on brands and communication that bring more value and use to society (and the world we live in), that’s probably why he send me the link. It’s a great post, with inspiring examples, thanks for that! One thing is bothering me though, again. That’s the ‘go forth’ example from Levi’s. Please let me explain…

Let’s first state that I really admire Levi’s, and it’s agency and brand consultants, for their guts to create the ‘Go Forth’ story.

For those who are not familiair with ‘Go Forth’. First watch the movie, and draw your own conclusion (and please feel free to comment at the end of this post!).

So? Liked it? Are you now completely motivated to change whatever around you? With Levi’s?

This is what i like about the story:

- it makes you think

- it’s very very well executed. Brilliant setting, nice images, great music.

- it’s refreshing in the line-up off boring Dutch commercials

- it a great kick starter for conversation (1500 reactions on YouTube, on FB Levi’s has 180.000 people interacting at this very minute… although on the GoForth tab it’s unclear what the involvement really is. Plus me (and you Willem) blogging about it months after the campaign).

And this is why it’s a bad example in “social communication”:

- Where’s the link with the original brand story? Besides showing how CSR the brand and organization is (although that’s being disputed in the comments on YouTube). I thought Levi’s was about Levi Strauss, inventing jeans! Off course there is a link with ‘pioneering’.. and i can imagine they wanted to make the link with ‘pioneering for a better world’. But the link is just not strong enough. I really cannot make my own version of the story to share with my friends.

- Where’s the conversation? I see messages everywhere. On their goforth.levi.com website (“fans helped 5 people change the world”) and on their Facebook page. But i don’t feel temped to interact, to join the conversation. To take a look who those 5 people (only 5 ???!!!) are who are probably really doing a wonderfull job, and what their story is. I don’t feel temped to share my own, or submit to another (“do you know a pioneer?”). Levi’s doesn’t give me enough reason why. I can more easily go and support the 1%Club or by a piece of chocolate for a better world. I miss the story from Levi’s where i fit in.

A comparable big brand, say Pepsi, for example, did a great job with their Pepsi Refresh Project. The link is very very clear. The execution is very well done. The interaction is good. And they immediately followed up with new communication and Refreshing Projects.

So i hope it’s clear why i needed to make a small (ahum!) post. Because i do think it’s great fun, and very valuable, that brands go further… But please open up, be really social, and build your story from the heard of your brand!

Thanks for listening Willem (and others). Please feel free to react (or not)

Yvette (@tweedejansteen)

Workshop Social Storytelling

We organiseren regelmatig workshops. Zin om te horen welke workshops we kunnen verzorgen? Vragen over een type workshop? Of over de eerstvolgende datum? Neem contact met ons op.

Bereid je voor op de ‘winter des doods’

Geïnspireerd door het verhaal van Brrr, maakte Diederik Ebbinge (bekend van o.a. De Vliegende Panters) een korte film met in de hoofdrol René van ’t Hof (o.a. Flodder). Met een knipoog naar de voorspelde ‘winter des doods’ zien we hoe van ’t Hof zich als oud vrouwtje probeert te wapenen tegen de extreme kou. Helaas komt Brrr voor haar te laat. Voor de rest van Nederland heeft Brrr het makkelijk gemaakt: online snel bestellen van fijne sjaals en mutsen.

De Garage hielp Brrr een handje met het verspreiden van dit verhaal.

Consumer insights SEAT

Dat mensen auto’s kopen op design, prijs en (on)gunstige bijtelling is algemeen bekend. Maar wat doet een auto nou eigenlijk écht met je? Dat hebben we, met Start Making Sense!, inzichtelijk gemaakt voor SEAT.

Lovolution

“Everybody wants to live a life of meaning”. The Occupy movement is a shift in consiousness. Ian MacKenzie calls this the revolution of love.

(source: CMN.tv via @secondsight)

Occupy Wall St – The Revolution Is Love from Ian MacKenzie on Vimeo.

Helden gezocht

Ieder jaar zijn er nieuwe helden nodig om de strijd aan te gaan tegen de slopende spierziekte Duchenne. De sponsortocht Duchenne Heroes zal in 2012 voor de zevende keer gehouden worden. De voorbereidingen hiervoor zijn in volle gang. Wij maakten alvast een wervingsfilmpje.

Heroic stories

Superheroes in action for the Real Heroes, the Duchenne Heroes.

A heroic story resulting in more than one million dollars for Duchenne Parent Project (dutch website, English community). Money used to develop medicine to fight the Duchenne disease.

Catwoman on bike / Catwoman op fiets

Ever saw Superheroes fighting ‘the bad’ on their bikes? This Saterday (17th sept 2011) you will!

Superhero’s will bike from Utrecht to Nijmegen to make some noise for Duchenne Parent Project.

Here’s the Dutch press release:

“Komende zaterdag bundelen Superman, Batman, Mega Mindy, Zorro, Catwoman en vele andere superhelden hun superkrachten, en stappen gezamenlijk op de fiets. Onder het motto “Superhelden supporten echte helden” zullen zij van Utrecht CS naar Nijmegen fietsen, om een eerbetoon te brengen aan de echte helden van de dag; de Duchenne Heroes.

Aanstaande zaterdag 17 september fietsen de Duchenne Heroes de laatste dag van hun 7-daagse strijd tegen de elementen. Met deze tocht hebben de 304 helden dit jaar al meer dan een miljoen euro aan sponsorgelden opgehaald! Om alle inspanningen kracht bij te zetten, zullen zij bij de finish in Nijmegen worden onthaald door de grootste verzameling superhelden ooit.

Duchenne Parent Project zet het sponsorgeld in voor de ontwikkeling van een medicijn dat kinderen met de ziekte van Duchenne helpt overleven. Duchenne Heroes is in zes jaar uitgegroeid tot een begrip onder de meerdaagse mountainbiketochten. De helden fietsen in 7 dagen van Luxemburg naar Nederland en leggen dagelijks ruim 100 kilometer af, over ruige trails door vier landen (#duchenneheroes). Al fietsende geven zij honderden kinderen met een slopende spierziekte een betere kans op overleven.

Kom aanstaande zaterdag om 10uur naar Utrecht CS om Catwoman, Superman en andere helden in actie te zien. Elizabeth Vroom, moeder van Justus, een jongen met de ziekte van Duchenne, en oprichter van Duchenne Parent Project, zal het startschot geven voor de superheldentocht richting Nijmegen”.

Checklist for going social

While consulting brands (and companies) and hands-on working on social storytelling, i came across some stuff i’d like to share. And why not make it a nice list. Do you recognize any of it? Please use, add or improve. I will too. The first 2 ‘checkers’.

1. Why do you (/your brand) REALLY want to go social?

If you are really aiming for free publicity, and secretly hoping you don’t have to spend money on advertising, while reaching your target audience via their conversations? Think again! Social storytelling is hard work. Rethink your goals. Be ambitious, but also realistic. Make your goals SMART and closely follow the outcome.

Want to understand your consumers better? Want to listen and help them? Your strategy would be. Lie low, listen and be open to their thoughts. Google is your main starting page, blogs and specific communities. In the mean time ‘be out there’. The best example is Innocent’s Facebook profile information. Just saying ‘hello.’. It can be that simple. Just say hi, i’m out here, any questions, let us know.

Or want to join in on their conversation, as to make them talk to you, and about you (to their friends). You can make your goals SMART in aiming for a number of brandhits on Google, new newsletter subscriptions, website visitors or aiming for a certain growth in ‘likes’ or ‘fans’ or ‘friends’ or ‘followers’, or setting a goal on the amount of (online) interactions with your consumers, etc.  Your strategy would be to ‘participate’ in their conversations. By being out there, in their communities and conversations. And by stimulating (and facilitating) conversations about yourself. These stories will only be told by others, if it makes people happy in a way (relevant, meaningful, humorous, adds to their social status etc.)

2. What media, platforms, moments will make you social?

Social media is (where) people (are) having conversations (online) (source slide 14). The people are the media. But also the platforms and tools they use (blogs/websites, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook etc).

Facilitate, facilitate, facilitate. Make sharing (your) content easy. The ‘old’ sent-a-friend button is still good, but the ‘like’ button is even easier (your visitors and readers can share stuff with an unlimited amount of friends, with one click). For example on your website (if relevant), in your newsletter, in your webshop.

And don’t forget ‘offline’ conversations. What conversations are you having? On events? In store? Music festivals? In the street? On products? Etc. Here people also are having conversations and friends (mobile!) to share it with.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PS. For inspiration also, this earlier posts ‘the manifest for social storytelling’.

Say what??

Stefanie Vermeulen, journalist and storyteller asking about the difference between what we and what they do… Hmmm… Ask Stefanie about their ‘non-ads’, it’s a grand idea! (Ventanaz)