Recently, I got into a debate with a friend as to whether or not this new Levi’s ad was manipulative.  We are both fans of their “Go Forth” campaign, but this installment rubbed him the wrong way, while I hadn’t even seen it yet.  So I took a looksie…

My friend’s argument found fault in the audience being manipulated into identifying with the down-and-out, working class.  I, with the exception of one overly dramatic line from our narrator, approved of the ad, as it does a pretty awesome job of pointing out the unexplored potential surrounding us every day.

Basically we were talking apples and oranges.

It strikes me that a central tenet of Atlas Obscura is that the world is full of wonder, possibility, and potential if only you look at it just so… which is a sentiment I think would serve us well if we remembered it more often, even if it takes a jean company to bring it to our attention. 

Now, Obscuraphiles, I pose the following questions:

  • Have I entirely lost my mind by being somewhat in favor of this ad?
  • Does the benefit in Levi’s drawing our attention to the “frontiers” all around us outweigh them capitalizing on this sentiment to sell $80 jeans?
  • Does it even matter?