Levi’s celebrates 10 years of ‘Live in Levi’s’ with global casting call for dancers

Levi’s, the 170-year-old denim company, is one of those brands. With each passing decade, Levi Strauss & Co continually redefines what it means to live in Levi’s while staying true to its roots.

In 2024, the brand is back with its ‘Live in Levi’s’ campaign. This time around, the campaign’s focus is not only the enduring appeal of Levi’s blue jeans but also the power of movement and dance.

At the heart of this campaign is ‘The Floor is Yours,’ a dynamic short film that captures the essence of dance as a vehicle for change and progression. Directed by Omar Jones and choreographed by Sherrie Silver, the film follows a group of friends trapped in the monotony of everyday life. But when one brave soul dares to let loose, the entire world shifts, setting off a chain reaction of movement and joy that is equally infectious and liberating.

“Levi’s has been, continues to be and always will be this unofficial uniform for progress, so this idea that progress, as we define it, is movement for the better,” Kenny Mitchell, chief marketing officer of the Levi’s brand at Levi Strauss & Co, told The Drum.

Mitchell then elaborated on the iconic figures who have proudly donned Levi’s blue jeans over the years. “As you look across time at amazing, talented and creative folks like Steve Jobs or Jean-Michel Basquiat, all the way to the modern day, with Pharrell and Beyonce ... All of these people within their respective worlds were moving it forward. The enemy of progress is standing still. We want to be that uniform.”

What sets this campaign apart is its #LevisOpenCall, an opportunity for dancers of all walks of life and from all corners of the world to be a part of a new exclusive film.

To audition for the film, dancers aged 18 and over can post their rendition of the specific choreography to Instagram, using the sound from choreographer Sherrie Silver’s instructional post and including the #LevisOpenCall hashtag. They can also submit a video to an online portal.

From there, Silver and the team will choose dancers with whom to make the film. Selected dancers will also be paid for their time and flown out by Levi’s.

The campaign was conceived and developed in partnership with the ad agency TBWA\Chiat\Day and marks the agency’s first work for the Levi’s brand.

Erin Riley, chief executive officer of TBWA\Chiat\Day Los Angeles, explained the creative methodology behind the new campaign: “In a category that is pretty flush with authenticity and self-expression, we spent a lot of time thinking about the soul of this brand and how we can reveal that in a way that is true to Levi’s legacy, but also make it unmissably modern ... That’s where we got to this idea around progress – that life is not about spectating; it’s about doing.”

The predominantly digital and social campaign is supported by a robust out-of-home effort throughout Europe and Asia as well as print media in Condé Nast.

Interested in creative campaigns? Check out our Ad of the Day section and sign up for our Ads of the Week newsletter so you don’t miss a story.