As part of Levi’s year-long celebration of the 150th anniversary of its 501 jeans, the denim brand is teaming up with a fittingly-named partner–NewJeans, a K-pop girl group who Levi’s has named its newest global brand ambassadors. But the brand’s decision to partner with NewJeans extends beyond the group’s denim-themed name, instead reflecting Levi’s ongoing efforts to reach Gen Z consumers by tapping into “youth culture” and entering into strategic creator collaborations, said Chris Jackman, VP of global brand marketing at Levi’s. 

Through working with NewJeans, Levi’s seeks to leverage the group’s growing popularity among Gen Z consumers around the globe—as well as the “global phenomenon” that the K-pop music genre has evolved into over the past several years, Jackman said. 

“It feels like [NewJeans] is coming from a unique place— from something that is kind of taking over the world, in a good way,” he told Ad Age. “When you see a band or talent like NewJeans and you see their relevance—both within social media, where fans are engaging with them, and in general—it becomes really obvious that this is the place to really press into.”

For Levi’s, collaborating with NewJeans represents the brand’s overarching focus on reaching Gen Z consumers where they are—which is, increasingly, TikTok. During an appearance on Ad Age’s Marketer’s Brief podcast in January, Karen Riley-Grant, Levi’s chief marketing officer, said the company has “really sharpened [its] focus on Gen Z to make sure [it’s] cementing the fanbase for the next 150 years.” TikTok has been hugely important in the brand’s efforts on this front, she added.

Like all retailers, Levi’s is battling for share of wallet at a time when many consumers are reluctant to spend. The company recently reported a 6% revenue decline to $1.6 billion for the fourth quarter, though full-year sales were up 7% to $6.2 billion. 

The all-girl musical group from South Korea, made up of five members—Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin and Hyein—has quickly evolved into a global juggernaut since breaking onto the K-pop scene last August. Though the group debuted less than a year ago, they’ve already attracted a loyal fanbase and amassed a combined 13 million followers across TikTok, Instagram and Twitter. NewJeans’ popularity within the U.S. has been bolstered by the virality of one of the group’s newest songs, “OMG,” which swept across social media channels and has been used in nearly 500,000 TikTok videos.

Brands partnering with K-pop groups isn’t a new phenomenon–the hugely-popular boy band BTS, for example, has an entire page on its website dedicated to listing different brands the group has collaborated with. And NewJeans, itself, has recently inked brand deals with McDonald’s and Nike, in addition to Levi’s.

Though he declined to share specific details, Jackman said the year-long partnership with the K-pop group will involve a plethora of social media content, some of which will be created with a TikTok-first approach and aim to introduce consumers to each member of the group and “get a flavor for them in more of a raw, sort of fun way.” NewJeans will also put on a concert on May 20 in Seoul, South Korea as part of a series of “global celebrations” of the official “birthday” of Levi’s 501 jeans, he said. 

Levi’s also hopes to pick up strategies from NewJeans about how to best connect with both the group’s fanbase and Gen Z consumers more broadly, Jackman said. 

“[Social media] is where the world is, and it’s where the world is going to continue to be,” he said. “Of course, there are other places, as well—there're real-life activations, music festivals and concerts, and things like that—but it’s undeniable, of course, that social media and phones are a part of everyone’s life. And bands like NewJeans don’t think, ‘Okay, it’s time to go digital’ or ‘it’s time to go social’—that’s just where they live.”

Several of Levi’s existing brand ambassadors also reflect the brand’s aim of connecting with youth culture and associated figures, including creator Emma Chamberlain and model and actress Barbie Ferreira. Keeping a finger on the pulse of pop culture trends and the people—or musical groups—that drive them has been a key aspect of Levi’s marketing strategy for decades, Jackman added. 

“I'd say that the reason that our company has been around for so long is that there's just been a continual connection to youth in every single decade, decade in decade out,” he said. “That has been an amazing point of our longevity.”