Levi's Spends Four Hours Per Second Avoiding AI

SAN FRANCISCO—Levi's has released a 60-second claymation holiday spot that took four hours of filming for every second of animation, a ratio the brand appears to consider the point. The ad, "Let's Get Fuzzy," stars a yeti named Gus who receives a red sweater and calls back to Levi's 1995 "Clayman" commercial, Marketing Dive reported.

No generative AI was used. The campaign lands as Gartner research finds half of consumers prefer brands that do not use generative AI, and as E.l.f. and Prada have also leaned on handmade work.

"The luxury good now is the thumbprint," said Pim Holloway, a fictional creative director. "Anybody can make a yeti in 40 seconds. Making one in 240 hours tells the customer you had nowhere else to be."

said Pim Holloway, a fictional creative director.

By The Daily SKU's arithmetic, the spot took about 240 hours of filming. A fictional agency estimate says the same hours could have produced 21,600 machine-made yetis, none of which could hold a sweater with their thumbs.

Levi's reported third-quarter revenue of $1.6 billion, up 4%. Chief executive Michelle Gass said back-to-school sales came in below expectations.

I watched the spot once and was followed by 11 ads in the next hour, all for sweaters. Gus held my attention for 60 of his 60 seconds, a completion rate I have not managed with my own family. The Blanket ad found me again Tuesday night, on a television that was off.

I keep thinking about Gus. Somebody pressed every tuft of him into place by hand, and then the ad ran for one minute and was over, and the thumbprints went wherever thumbprints go. That is the season, friend. Four hours of care for one second of being seen.

At press time Gus had been viewed millions of times and had not received a second sweater.

Ronan Fairweather edits retail media and DTC coverage. The weighted-blanket ad is still following him. More from Ronan Fairweather ›

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