By A Correspondent
Denizen, the youth brand from Levi Strauss & Co, has been using social media effectively to connect with its consumers, the most recent example of this being its ‘We are Explorers’ initiative which has been quite a success in its first phase.
Talking about the genesis of the idea, Arvind R P, Marketing Controller, Denizen, explained, “We know that the youth of today are increasingly spending time on social media engaging with friends & making new connections. Given that Denizen is a new brand, we have been exploring ways to connect strongly with the youth and be a part of their conversations. One of the exciting ways to deliver this is to have brand ambassadors who participate in the brand’s activities, get deeply involved in the brand programs and then build around these conversations. This is an exciting way to create buzz around the brand.”
He aded, “Denizen is a global brand and hence this ‘We are explorers’ programme had to be on a global scale. We have Denizen brand ambassadors from India, China, Mexico, Singapore and Pakistan travelling to India, China and Mexico, in three phases.”
When the initiative kicked off, there were about 200,000+ fans on Facebook which till date has more than doubled. This is for just Phase 1, with Phase 2 and 3 yet to happen in April. Most importantly, the quality of conversations around the brand has been heartening which is something that the brands today are increasingly looking at. Not to mention that this has helped drive buzz around the brand.
The six young explorers, chosen from a large pool of hopeful applicants via a global casting call, hail from countries where Denizen clothes for youth can be purchased. This includes China, India, Mexico, Pakistan and Singapore. The explorers will be paired up as they head to their destination country during the next two months – March and April. They will embark on an action-packed trip where they will meet new people and take on tasks and challenges centered around creating new styles of denim based on their experiences. ‘We are Explorers’ campaign is being executed in three phases while the first phase is over, the next two phases will help in maintaining the momentum and buzz over a longer period of time. The company hopes that post this global program, the brand would have attained a sustainable base of fans and been a significant part of youth conversations. The plan is to build upon it and enrich the conversations around the brand.
On other marketing initiatives around the brand, Mr Arvind said, “An important part of Denizen’s plans is to excite the youth with relevant innovations. Super shape, a new fit for young women which enhances the body curves, has just been launched. It has a more defined curve, a slimmer waist and longer leaner legs. We are planning a sustained promotion to build the women’s franchise with this innovation.”
The brand Denizen has been designed keeping in mind the aspirational desires of the youth who increasingly identify with global trends. Leveraging LS&Co’s rich heritage and fit expertise of over 138 years, Denizen is re-inventing fits for this young generation of consumers. Affordable yet aspirational, the brand delivers great fitting and quality jeanswear with innovations.
Denizen had taken the social media route when it was launched in India, where it used the social networking platform to engage its consumers and did events around the seven letters that spell Denizen, including a fashion show.
In 2010, Levi Strauss & Co launched the Denizen brand in Asia – the company’s first brand launched outside the United States. In India, Levi Strauss Signature has transitioned into Denizen in 2011. Since its launch, the brand has gone to have over 300 exclusive brand stores and over two thousand multi-brand outlets.
