I’ve mentioned Twitter a-plenty and wondered how something that encourages the briefest of interactions can inspire so much dialogue, and bring about inspiration in so many forms. Whether that be the ability to bond over a TV show via hashtags (Masterchef or So You Think You Can Dance ftw), whether it be via communicating with someone local that you’ve added via a mutual friend, or via re-tweets (RTs) of interesting blog posts and articles that you wouldn’t have otherwise come across.

Via this very medium, I noticed that celebrities let alone advertising agencies and their clients were using it to promote products, concerts, songs, or appreciating the competition! Who knows who was the ‘first’ to start the trend – how would that really be calculated? Lily Allen (@lilyroseallen) caught my attention first by how blunt, and honest she was with her tweets,  but then what made her altogether more genuinely wanting to interact with her fans was the scavenger hunts she would create, via tweet clues – in random cities where she would perform, she would hide concert tickets for tweet followers to find. In some cases, she would be hiding alongside the tickets! A twitpic attached to the announcement that the tickets had been found would show that she was more than willing to meet the scavenging twinners (tweet-winners… lame?)

Perhaps it was the idea that if Lily Allen could promote her concert, promote her music via this method in a creative way, if Ashton Kutcher can promote his wife’s butt, and if Miley Cyrus can pimp best buddy Demi Lovato’s new album, the sky is the limit! After all, celebrity influence counts for a lot, and if you pay attention -  models are less used on magazine covers than movie stars, singers and such in order to encourage passers-by to pick up a copy.

The fun of such tweets is where the Levi’s campaign spearheaded by Host comes in. Under the tweetname of @iSpyLevis – imagine this.

On the streets of Melbourne or Sydney (more cities in Australia and New Zealand to be scheduled) a guy or girl is wearing a pair of Levi’s Jeans. Possibly a few people are. But imagine via twitpics, and tweet clues if you go up to a certain person and ask them ‘Are they Levis’; imagine the response being that they drop their pants and give them to you. On the spot. Re-read that. They drop their pants. Let that sink in.

With clues such as ‘on the street in 10′ – the twitpic attached illustrates the footwear that the ‘Spy’ is wearing..

Apart from shoewear, imagine a clue where the Spy languidly says ‘Just havin’ a read’…

If that doesn’t inspire you to go on a scavenger hunt, I don’t know what would.  If I could have left my shackles/chains/desk – I would have gone on the ride, being as close to Melbourne CBD as I am, but alas I could not join the pursuit.

Twitter friends didn’t do anything half-hearted when pursuing a new pair of jeans! In some cases, for those less chained to their desks and bound by a heavy conscience – an ‘enthusiastic’ girl has nearly crashed her parents’ car in pursuit of the Levis’ girl. Or there was a resourceful guy that used Google Maps to the infinite degree, found where they were and won the pair!  Another guy in particular had the time (shaking fists in jealousy) to stalk * follow * the Levis clues for 3 different occasions and won 3 pairs..! Nice healthy addition to the wardrobe!

Without directly marketing the jeans, or pimping them out via a C-Grade Australian soap star, what Host and their strategic media unit partner in Bring and PR Agency ‘One Green Bean’ have created are people talking about Levis again. They have indirectly fuelled a new mindset about Levi’s and rebuilding its reputation from what used to be known perhaps as ‘Dad jeans’ or reversing the imagery that they were high waisted daggy bluejeans. Plus, its just a little bit naughty to be chasing someone in hopes of getting them to drop their pants… Needless to say really!

It doesn’t look like slowing down at all, perhaps the iSpyLevi’s campaign triggered the PR department of Project Runway Australia to conduct their own scavenger hunt with couture pieces and hard to find labels on the run through the streets of Sydney and Melbourne. I’m definitely going to be on the lookout for a) free clothes and/or b) hot guys I can chase in the pursuit of said free clothes.

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