Levi Strauss & Company is said to have severed its relationship with TBWA/Chiat/Day in a simple phone call. Citing creative consolidation as part of a global branding strategy, Levi's moved its estimated $60 million account to the New York office of Bartle Bogle Hegarty, the agency of record in Europe and Singapore.

The account shift may have been prompted by Chiat's recent acquisition of the Adidas account; Adidas will funnel its advertising dollars to TBWA Worldwide and Amsterdam's 180. By all indications Levi's decision came as a shock to the agency and will likely result in a number of layoffs if not the closure of Chiat's San Francisco shop.

Amid the creative turmoil, Levi's encouraged TV viewers to check out three Chiat-produced spots on its Web site and vote on which one should air during this year's Super Bowl. The series of standalones fell under the creative leadership of executive creative director Chuck McBride, relying on the concept of simple product demonstration and the directorial skills of Spike Jonze, Mike Mills and Chris Cunningham.

Directed by Mike Mills of The Director's Bureau, "Mechanical Bull" [see Boards, December 2001] showcases Levi's boot cut jeans and informs consumers that they're not just for cowboys any more.

Spike Jonze directed "Crazy Legs," a spot introducing Levi's Flyweight jean. Shot in Mexico City, the ad features a guy strutting to "Sí Señor" by Mexican hip-hop crew Control Machete. His legs pop at impossible angles while his upper body remains motionless, making John Cleese's "silly walk" look like an afternoon stroll with an old lady and her walker.

Super Low Stretch jeans are the subject of Chris Cunningham's "Up & Down." The spot shows a number of women in all shapes and sizes trying on the same pair of jeans in a bathroom stall and generally frolicking about in their colorful skivvies to the Basement Jaxx's "Do Your Thing."

Boards was on location at Universal Studios for the filming of "Up & Down" and had the opportunity to interview copywriter Susan Treacy and art director Tom Gilmartin.

"It's kind of a one-size fits all concept," said Treacy. "One thing that we like about this concept is having the opportunity to show women's shapes that you normally wouldn't see in an ad. They are atypical models including women that are much thinner and larger than you're accustomed to seeing."

"Up & Down" is considered to be the sequel to the singing bellybutton spot directed by Partizan's Michel Gondry. "The concept is heavily based on music and movement," remarked Gilmartin. "It's targeting women," adds Treacy, "so the intention is not to be sexual.

"It's acknowledging that women have different shapes and it's something that women are used to seeing. It will have a halo effect where men will think that women's Levi's jeans are more sexy."

Prior to the news of Levi's moving its account to BBH, New York, "Crazy Legs" was rumored to be the favorite for broadcast during the Super Bowl. However, the panties at press time appeared to be a serious contender judging from the number of votes on the Web site.

Levi's prescreening of spots coupled with the extensive market research that gave us "the halo effect" begs the question: what happened to the element of surprise?

It looks as though we'll have to go back to watching the game.