• by Karl Greenberg , July 8, 2008

The department store chain Kohl's is launching a back-to-school push in conjunction with its "Inspired by the Artists...worn by you" campaign for denim products. The back-to-school effort centers on TV spots featuring singer Lenny Kravitz wearing denim and singing a track off his new album.

The Menomonee Falls, WI-based Kohl's, which will have around 1,000 stores in 47 states by this fall, is pitching the artist-inspired clothing line to moms and teens. The effort includes national TV, print, outdoor, the Web, in-store materials, a consumer contest and direct mail.

The "Inspired" campaign ties denim brands to pop culture and music stars and their products, a la Avril Lavigne and her "Abbey Dawn" line, and Tony Hawk's line of apparel.

"The 'Inspired' campaign is an idea that taps into the dynamic convergence between fashion, music and culture," said Julie Gardner, executive vice president and chief marketing officer for Kohl's Department Stores.

The TV portion of the campaign features 30- and 60-second spots starting late this month on shows like ABC's Ugly Betty and CW's One Tree Hill. Variants will also run on MTV and MTV.com. One of the spots shows Kravitz in Levi's 511 jeans performing his song "Love Revolution" which will also be featured in one form or another in ads starring Lavigne, Hayden Panettiere, Vanessa Carlton and the bands Plain White T's and Red Jumpsuit Apparatus wearing denim apparel they have designed for the Tony Hawk label.

Print ads featuring Lavigne in September issues of Cosmo Girl and Seventeen will drive consumers to an online contest at a back-to-school microsite at Kohls.com. The promotion centers on footage from each of the musical artists telling personal stories involving denim. Consumers can then upload, via Facebook, their own fashion or denim-centric memoir. Kohl's is dangling a "Rock Like a Star" experience comprising $10,000 cash prize, concert tickets, $1,000 Kohl's gift card and artist-autographed merchandise.