Behind the Levi’s® Super Bowl AD: The Backstory & the BOV.

“Behind Every Original” a global campaign that quite literally flips the script. Debuting during the Super Bowl with the anthem film “Backstory,” directed by Kim Gehrig, Levi’s did the unthinkable in a celebrity-obsessed era: it showed everyone from the back.

The BOV

Let’s be honest. You can clock a pair of Levi’s from behind in under a second. The arcuate stitching. The silhouette. The flash of that Red Tab™. It’s branding without begging.

“Behind Every Original” leans into that heritage with a cheeky but confident premise: the most powerful stories aren’t always told face-first. Sometimes they’re stitched into the seat of culture.

The campaign premiered during the Super Bowl hosted at Levi's Stadium; a full-circle cultural flex if there ever was one.

Behind the Backs

While faces were deliberately de-emphasised in the main Super Bowl spot, the cast is still star-studded. Backstory features influential figures whose careers intersect culture, sport, music and style — people Levi’s dubs its “Originals”: 

• Grammy-winning rapper Doechii

• Global superstar ROSÉ of BLACKPINK

• NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, now a Levi’s ambassador

• Filmmaker, musician and DJ Questlove

• Model and cultural voice Stefanie Giesinger

• Even Woody from Toy Story makes a cameo — a playful nod amid Levi’s own anniversary collab with the franchise. 

The references are layered. There’s a nod to George Michael’s “Faith” era cool. A modern rework of Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the U.S.A. cover stance. And a soundtrack powered by James Brown’s “Get Up Offa That Thing,” because what’s more on-brand than a groove that commands movement?

Denim as a Cultural Frame

What makes this campaign feel less like a stunt and more like a statement is the casting beyond celebrity.

Shot over six days across Los Angeles, Oklahoma City and London, the production pulled in real cowboys, construction workers, climbers and youth. Authenticity wasn’t an aesthetic, it was the brief.

Levi’s denim becomes less of a product and more of a through-line. From 505 Regular Fits to 578® Baggy cuts, from Ribcage Slims to Relaxed Fit Truckers, the styling spans decades without nostalgia fatigue. It feels lived in, not archived.

Because the truth is: Levi’s hasn’t just been worn during cultural shifts, it’s been present for them. Movements. Music videos. Protest lines. Red carpets. Construction sites. Basement gigs. Super Bowls.

When you think about it, the denim brand has had our backs through all moments and times. It makes you realize how Levi’s® feels like a quintessential part of the human story.

Movement as a Momento

Post-game, the campaign rolled out six-second reveal films, quick-turn clips that finally put names to the backsides. But even then, the emphasis remains on motion, not celebrity.

In an era where ads often compete to be the loudest or flashiest, Levi’s opted for confidence and subtlety. By leaning into its most recognisable asset — denim at the back — and by aligning itself with cultural trailblazers across sectors, the brand achieved something rare: it turned its heritage into a living contemporary statement. 

And sometimes, the strongest branding move is simply knowing you don’t need to show your face to be recognised.

Levi’s didn’t just run a star studded Super Bowl ad. It reclaimed the POV.