The Levi’s® brand has spent decades curating creative, memorable marketing campaigns and advertisements that are just as iconic as the brand itself. That’s why it’s hard to believe that it was only 30 years ago that Levi Strauss & Co. debuted its first-ever global commercial.
The commercial in question? “Clayman,” a harrowing tale of a Levi’s®-wearing hero rescuing a damsel in distress — and everything is completely made of clay.
A Firey Debut
Produced by London-based BBH (Bartle Bogle Hegarty), “Clayman” was released in 1995 and directed by Welsh animation experts Deiniol Morris and Michael Mort. The commercial opens on a 1950s New York City street scene, where flames engulf a skyscraper and the damsel, Sandy, screams from the rooftop. In a flash, Ed Clayman appears, grabbing a police motorcycle and racing up a firefighter’s ladder to leap onto the roof. Sandy can’t tell if it’s the fire or the fiery hunk who lands in front of her that is causing her heart to pound more.
As the flames surround them, Ed calmly removes his Levi’s® 501® jeans and folds them over a cable leading to an adjacent building. He beckons Sandy to hold on tight as the couple slides to safety with Ed hanging onto the legs of the jeans. “Double Stitched for Xtra Strength,” reads the end tagline. “Levi’s® 501. The Original Jean.”
The one-minute spot is set to the reggae beats of “Boombastic” by Shaggy. The quirky rhythm and over-the-top lyrics are a good match for the playful commercial.
A First of Its Kind
“Clayman” was the first ever, full-length commercial shot entirely in claymation, an advertising history first that paved the way for commercials to come. Each character movement was shot one frame at a time, with 24 frames of work equating to one second of commercial time. In sum, one month’s worth of work was equivalent to about 20 seconds of commercial — or over three months for the one-minute spot. To put that into perspective, it usually takes three to five days to shoot a traditional ad.
Earning a Spot at the Center of Culture — and History
“Clayman” took the world by storm, charming Levi’s® fans and consumers around the globe. The ad was integrated across all kinds of media to create excitement and buzz around the first-of-its-kind advertisement.
Fans in the Netherlands saw “Clayman” promotions in the “Levi’s® Tab” magazine, for example, while “Clayman” promotions in New Zealand included creative paper doll cutouts. In Malaysia, print ads showed the backside of Clayman lowering his 501® jeans with the teaser, “More will be revealed on 27th October.” A promotion in Thailand exclaimed, “Watch Out! A ‘HERO’ is coming to your living room to strip his jeans before your very own eyes. . . Get Ready to ‘Scream’ . . .” Invitations were mailed for a Levi’s® High Party in Taiwan — “Give me my Levi’s® or there’s nothing to talk about,” the Clayman warned partygoers — and brand fans in Hong Kong could pick up a “Clayman” comic book featuring Ed wearing his super-strong “TUFF” Levi’s® 501® jeans.
“Clayman” garnered plenty of attention — and awards. In 1996, it won a British Animation Award as the public choice’s favorite commercial, alongside an Animation Wood Pencil D&AD (Design and Art Direction) Award. A few years later, “Clayman” secured a WFA Hall of Fame Award for Best Saga.
Thirty years later, “Clayman” ranks among the Levi’s® brand’s top television spots of all time, reflecting a level of creativity — and painstaking detail — that few ads would feature again.
