LEVI WITHDRAWS CAMPAIGN
By Adnews Staff
Levi Strauss & Co. of San Francisco can't even give away its pants. The jeans company launched a bus shelter campaign in New York last month to promote its Dockers Khakis pants using the actual clothing in the ad. If the pants were stolen from the shelter display an outline would remain, along with the tagline "Apparently they were very nice pants." But city officials didn't appreciate the company promoting theft, so the ads were removed. Forty shelters in New York carried the ad but only one pair of Dockers was stolen. Levi said it was promoting its new Dockers, not theft. The company did agree that if the pants were stolen the extra buzz created could be positive. The campaign was also launched in San Francisco where Levi has received no complaints. New York-based Gannett Outdoor Advertising sells the bus shelter ad space. Foote, Cone & Belding of San Francisco is Levi's ad agency in the U.S.