Levi’s latest campaign continues to respond to the onslaught of designer jean brands by leveraging the theme of ‘boldness.’ And while the online campaign for its spring 2003 Type 1 jeans doesn’t feature any visuals as arresting as the current TV spot’s charging bulls and waifish models, both efforts stem from a desire to lend an element of edginess to its universally recognized icons.

‘[Levi’s] brought forth this new product that’s really supposed to capitalize on their history and a lot of the innovation they’ve had with the denim product overall,’ says Nadia Duriavig, senior account manager at Toronto-based site creator and interactive agency ninedots. ‘And this is supposed to be a modern iteration of what they consider to be the new ‘bold’ product for 2003.’

It’s an approach that seems to be working, as evidenced by the success of a recent online ‘jean-eology’ contest. Entered via a form on the www.levi.com/canada homepage, the contest offered consumers the chance to win Levi’s products for themselves and three friends. The contest began March 21 and was scheduled to run until April 18. By the beginning of April the contest had already garnered over 3,000 entries.

‘Before this, our best promotion on the site signed up approximately 500 people,’ says Duriavig.

Ninedots statistics indicate that of the 3,000 entries, 29% were garnered as a result of people responding to an initial e-mail blast (about 6,000 people), using a database of names culled from previous promotions. The percentage of people arriving through referrals was 32%, and those entering via site features accounted for 39%.

Levis.com/canada also experienced a 30% increase in its overall number of members. ‘We’ve added an additional 2,000 people to our database of 6,000 and that’s quite significant,’ says Duriavig, who adds the promotion has exceeded all expectations. ‘Also in terms of involvement it’s probably four times better than the last contest we ran.’

This latest contest is part of a larger effort to refresh the one-and-a-half-year-old Web site and turn the company’s heightened focus on brand awareness into useful customer data.

‘We’re looking for the site to enhance the brand experience and profile the Levi’s brand, as well as building our membership database for future communications,’ says Dave Soyka, consumer marketing co-ordinator at Toronto-based Levi Strauss & Co. (Canada).

Various marketing elements have been incorporated into the site to drive traffic, build awareness and grow the customer database.

E-mail blasts use names gathered from previous promotions to alert members of campaigns and new product lines. A ‘bold’ poll asks respondents to answer a question about making out in an elevator, and the ‘jean-eology’ contest gathers user data. (The poll and the contest are periodically exchanged for one another on the home page while the user surfs the site.)

As well, a Flash piece showcases the different products in the Type 1 line with a focus on the history of Levi’s icons such as the ‘eagle-in-flight’ pattern (called the ‘arcuate’) stitched on back pockets.

Finally, for those who want to shop right away, Levi’s has partnered with Sears, allowing visitors to click through to a co-branded Sears/Levi’s area at www.sears.ca where clothing can be purchased.

Unfortunately for the online effort, the prominent TV ads had yet to be tagged with the Levi’s URL as of this writing. Ninedots says those ads, which began airing in Canada on March 17, are currently being adjusted to include the Web address.

In the absence of that powerful TV driver, Duriavig attributes the site’s current numbers to point-of-sale pieces featuring the URL, the site’s own ‘momentum of traffic,’ and the fact that people are redirected to the site through its U.S. parent site (the TV campaign in the U.S. broke during the Super Bowl).

The current campaign targets a 15-24 demographic, evenly split between male and female. Duriavig says Levi’s is looking to have people interact with the full range of products, which are more than just jeans. There are skirts, jackets and shirts, too – mostly in, well, denim.

‘Hopefully it will allow them to have a chance to explore the breadth of Levi’s products,’ she says, ‘and arm them with some information to push them toward purchase at the store level.’