Advertisements are known for being the best way to sell a product because they are viewed all over the world. Advertisers, especially in America, are very smart with how they choose to portray themselves as a company and how they want the product to be seen by people. Levis has set a mark on American culture with their ‘Go Forth’ campaign. This commercial was aired throughout the country, but what made this add stand out was not the famous blue jeans, but the poem “Pioneers! Oh Pioneers!” read by Walt Whitman and the message behind this performance.
Levi's Jeans is currently running a lengthy commercial that is being considered to be controversial. The ad features a reading of Walt Whitman's poem "Pioneers! Oh Pioneers" and flashes through many different images of youth wearing Levi's Jeans which is not clear to the audience until the very end, when the Levis logo appears. The message is controversial because of the implied meaning that the poem suggests. The ad depicts images of youth running through fields carrying flags, dancing around a fire, and running with torches as a voiceover reads out lines from the poem.” Pioneers… oh pioneers… come my tanned faced children… get your weapons ready… have you your pistols?”. The ad's message for individual rights seems to be misrepresented as it suggests we are pioneers, but that we are repeatedly entitled to take away the rights of others.
This poem has a lot to say about American culture and the path it has taken, with people in our generation, we find ourselves facing both a crippled economy and the realization that many of us have no idea what the hell we’re supposed to do next. What strikes this commercial as interesting is the way in which Levi’s has examined the ideas of an era through the subtle difference of patriotism. This add seems to be suggesting, that our country has lost its way and that what’s past is more of a preliminary effect. This commercial is targeting youth and is daring them to reject the...