Now, I do not want to get into the habit of talking about the same topics/organizations within short time spans (see Urban Outfitters last week, and now Levi’s), but sometimes curiosity is peaked by interesting ideas worthy of being shared.
Braddock, Pennsylvania was once a thriving municipality with an economy built around the steel industry. Following the decline in the North American steel industry in the 1970s and 1980s, and an influx of drugs, Braddock saw such a fall from prosperity that by 1988 it was declared a financially distressed municipality. However, since 2005 Braddock has seen growth in its creative sector with the targeted attraction of artists, urbanists and other creative individuals, and it is because of this that the city has begun to see a grassroots driven reversal of fortune.
Enter Levi’s Jeans and their We Are All Workers campaign. Telling the tale of how work is in everything (and presumably, how such various workers enjoy Levi’s clothing), Levi’s has invested in Braddock, both physically, in providing urban infrastructure funding, and public relations wise, through its short film episodes detailing the story of Braddock and its citizens, (see We Are All Workers: Episode 1 –Seeds of Change).
Related to my previous post on Levi’s jeans, the marketing goal here seems to be in linking the story of Levi’s being a pioneer of cool to the grassroots pioneers of a reinvented community that are the current citizens of Braddock. Such investments in social causes are not rare for large corporations; Nike, for example, has in the past put much in the way of resources towards sponsoring inner-city athletic programs (among many other things). What is particularly interesting here is the promotion of the city, and results that the seemingly selfless short films could yield. As well as the inspiration that the activities of the citizens of Braddock, as documented in the film and its following episodes, could provide to likeminded individuals in similarly afflicted municipalities.
Many in Hamilton, Ontario could likely sympathize with the residents of Braddock, PA. Some may even feel that they could directly and understandably identify with them, though luckily, Hamilton’s fortunes did not reverse to the same tragic extent. Nevertheless, Hamilton, like Braddock, is a city of proud citizens, new and old, that are working to rebuild the city under a new image and with a vibrant creative sector.
As stated, an important component of Levi’s investment in Braddock is the public relations contribution made through the short film and its following episodes. In doing this, Levi’s has made less a public service announcement than it has a declaration that creative labour and gentrified communities are cool. As far as attraction and development are concerned, it is this partnering, of the work going on in Braddock and the iconic brand image of Levi’s, that may be the most resounding effect offered by the We Are All Workers film. Moreover, it is this identification of grassroots, sleeve-rolling, creative community development work as cool, that similarly afflicted municipalities may want to leverage (properly) as they look to push things forward.
Braddock, Pennsylvania was once a thriving municipality with an economy built around the steel industry. Following the decline in the North American steel industry in the 1970s and 1980s, and an influx of drugs, Braddock saw such a fall from prosperity that by 1988 it was declared a financially distressed municipality. However, since 2005 Braddock has seen growth in its creative sector with the targeted attraction of artists, urbanists and other creative individuals, and it is because of this that the city has begun to see a grassroots driven reversal of fortune.
Enter Levi’s Jeans and their We Are All Workers campaign. Telling the tale of how work is in everything (and presumably, how such various workers enjoy Levi’s clothing), Levi’s has invested in Braddock, both physically, in providing urban infrastructure funding, and public relations wise, through its short film episodes detailing the story of Braddock and its citizens, (see We Are All Workers: Episode 1 –Seeds of Change).
Related to my previous post on Levi’s jeans, the marketing goal here seems to be in linking the story of Levi’s being a pioneer of cool to the grassroots pioneers of a reinvented community that are the current citizens of Braddock. Such investments in social causes are not rare for large corporations; Nike, for example, has in the past put much in the way of resources towards sponsoring inner-city athletic programs (among many other things). What is particularly interesting here is the promotion of the city, and results that the seemingly selfless short films could yield. As well as the inspiration that the activities of the citizens of Braddock, as documented in the film and its following episodes, could provide to likeminded individuals in similarly afflicted municipalities.
Many in Hamilton, Ontario could likely sympathize with the residents of Braddock, PA. Some may even feel that they could directly and understandably identify with them, though luckily, Hamilton’s fortunes did not reverse to the same tragic extent. Nevertheless, Hamilton, like Braddock, is a city of proud citizens, new and old, that are working to rebuild the city under a new image and with a vibrant creative sector.
As stated, an important component of Levi’s investment in Braddock is the public relations contribution made through the short film and its following episodes. In doing this, Levi’s has made less a public service announcement than it has a declaration that creative labour and gentrified communities are cool. As far as attraction and development are concerned, it is this partnering, of the work going on in Braddock and the iconic brand image of Levi’s, that may be the most resounding effect offered by the We Are All Workers film. Moreover, it is this identification of grassroots, sleeve-rolling, creative community development work as cool, that similarly afflicted municipalities may want to leverage (properly) as they look to push things forward.
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