MARKETING MIX: PROFILE; Jeans genie: Roy Edmondson * Marketing Director * Levi Strauss UK

by JULIAN LEE, 07 March 1996, 12:00am Be the first to comment Its a comforting thought that someone whose career began at their local supermarket can end up as marketing director for Levi Strauss UK. Its a comforting thought that someone whose career began at their local supermarket can end up as marketing director for Levi Strauss UK.

Who would have thought that stacking Campbells soup could ignite in Roy Edmondson an undying passion for brands, eventually leading to handling one of the style icons of this century: Levis 501s.

Its hard to imagine what can go wrong with a product like 501s. You just keep cutting the denim, nailing in the rivets and pumping out those ads.

You can never afford to be complacent, says Edmondson curled up on his chair in his Soho office. You either decide you want to play the game or you just opt out. We are definitely in the running.

As a classic fashion brand Levis has to keep up to speed with every

development in street culture or see its 25% market share eroded by increasingly aggressive competitors. This means that Edmondson spends a lot of his time in research. The heavy bags beneath his eyes betray a commitment to not miss a beat of street culture. He has a collection of 10,000 records and loves choosing the music for the ads.

Whether it is a Pulp concert or what Blurs Damon Albarn is wearing, Edmondson has to be aware of the different nuances that make up the individual styles of the UK.

Its like being round a firecracker. He is a very creative person but someone who also challenges the norm. He is perfect for the job, says Amanda Le Roux, Levis UK franchise manager.

Levis marketing philosophy is intricately woven into the fickle world of fashion and music, as Edmondson explains: We dont make it, the consumer makes it. They choose how they style it; however we need to give them some clues. But if we were to just put up an image of a white t-shirt, jeans and leather jacket each time we would be dead in the water, he says.

He describes his job as being a bit like a traffic cop. You have to keep everything flowing from all directions be it clothing styles,

retailing, or music and then mushing it all together with our strategy.

While Levis strategy remains unaltered, its short-term tactics are undergoing change.

True to his risk-taking nature, Edmondson has temporarily dropped terrestrial TV for the latest Levis ad, Washroom, in favour of more targeted youth marketing. Festivals, tours and multi-media events, what he dubs as the new above-the -line, are all possible targets for the brand as Edmondson seeks to capture the ever-diminishing attention span of his 18- to 25-year-old audience.

Mind you, when he was at the age of his target audience, Edmondson was hardly a trendsetter.

Even now he sports a haircut that is frighteningly similar to John Noakes circa 1975, and for a man behind one of todays most powerful brands he is very small - shrunk to fit if you will.

Back in his native Yorkshire, young Edmondsons aspirations lay towards psychology. Instead he became a trainee retail manager in his local Morrisons supermarket in Keighley. After two years and with the encouragement of visiting sales reps, he took up a sales job with

tobacco giants Philip Morris.

It was the beginning of a new decade and he had high hopes. Sadly the reality did not live up to his dreams. There was little glamour to be had by working all hours visiting Bradford publicans.

He maintains that his most frightening experience to date was on the eve of the Marlboro Lights launch in 1985 when he briefed 350 blonde-haired promo girls in white boiler suits. What he was frightened of is a mystery.

It all came to an end in 1987. I started questioning whether pushing tobacco was the right thing for me. He arrived at Levis as promotions manager at a time when the Bartle Bogle Hegartys ads were on everybodys lips.

While much of his job is devoted to generating ideas an equal portion is spent separating the wheat from the chaff. Overkill is an omnipresent threat. As he sorts through the hundreds of ideas solicited to Levis each week he quotes the old 70s ad slogan Its the fish that John West rejects that makes John West the best.

Everyone has a view on Levis. If you walked into a room and asked them

to talk about Rich Tea youd maybe get three responses - ask them about Levis and youd be there for three hours.

BIOGRAPHY

1977 - 1979 Trainee manager Morrisons Supermarkets 1980 - 1987 Salesman/Promotions manager Phillip Morris 1987 - 1989 Promotions manager Levi Strauss UK 1989 - 1992 Marketing services manager Levi Strauss UK 1992 - 1995 Marketing manager Levi Strauss UK 1995 - present Marketing director Levi