Levi’s, unbuttoned and cut out of the closet

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: Decades ago, networks titled shows for the sponsors that paid the bills, among them “Kraft Music Hall,” “Schlitz Playhouse of Stars,” “Camel News Caravan” and “Colgate Comedy Hour.” Now, a familiar apparel label is teaming up with a cable channel to lend its name to 30 weeks of “unbuttoned” programming. The Levi’s 501 button-fly line of jeans sold by Levi Strauss & Co is joining with the Logo unit of MTV Networks, owned by Viacom, for a campaign called “Logo Unbuttoned.” Logo has signed sponsorship deals with other mainstream marketers like Orbitz, Stolichnaya and Subaru. The “Logo Unbuttoned” title echoes the phrase “Live Unbuttoned,” which is the theme of a worldwide campaign for Levi’s 501. The budget for the campaign, which also includes promotions, events and social media, is estimated at more than $1 million. Levi’s 501 will be the sole sponsor of a programme block that Logo plans to introduce on October 12, “Saturday Nights Unbuttoned Presented by Levi’s,” which will run from 1 to 3 am on Sunday mornings. The shows will be the first on Logo—a basic-cable channel available in 33 million homes.

The programming will include series like “The Big Gay Sketch Show,” “Queer as Folk” and “The L Word”; music videos; comedy shows with Mario Cantone and Joan Rivers; theatrical movies like “Fighting Tommy Riley”; and short films. As up-to-date as the technology is, the naming sponsorship is “back to the’50s,” said Brian Graden, president at Logo and president for entertainment at the MTV Networks Music Group in New York. “Advertisers are looking for clear associations with a franchise or a show, promoting themselves beyond a 30-second commercial,” he added.

“Advertising and marketing are changing really radically,” said Robert Cameron, vice-president for marketing for the Levi’s brand at Levi Strauss in San Francisco. “It’s all about engagement,” he added. “You want to offer something of value to your consumers, and your brand rides along.”