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Published on March 3, 2008

Given all this, marketing research house Synovate conducted a survey to find one factor above all others that would influence consumers' purchase of jeans.

The clear global favourite is Levi's, with more than one in five respondents nominating the classic brand as their preferred choice.

Synovate surveyed around 7,700 people in the United States, Canada, Brazil, France, Taiwan, Korea, Malaysia, Serbia, Russia and South Africa on all things denim: fit, quality, brand preferences and what people are willing to spend to achieve jeans nirvana.

In France, Levi's is not just any brand.

"Levi's is the jeans brand in France. It is seen as the authentic US brand. The brand has an almost mythical status. In fact, one would say 'I am going to buy Levi's', not 'I am going to buy a pair of jeans'," said Thierry Pailleux, Synovate's managing director for France.

The vote for Levi's was as high as 45 per cent in France, intriguing since there are so many local brands available. Around a third of all people in Malaysia, the brand's home the United States, Serbia and South Africa also chose Levi's.

Quality appears to be the highest determinant of purchase with 39 per cent of all respondents choosing "They are good quality and will last a long time". This factor won out over cost, with just 22 per cent selecting "The cost is reasonable".

The Synovate jeans survey also looked at whether people noticed jeans brands on the street or those worn by celebrities.

A total of 26 per cent agreed they kept an eye out for brands on the street, with South African respondents particularly focused on street fashions at 62 per cent. Malaysians are also brand-aware with 44 per cent agreeing they pay attention to street-wear.

The least likely to notice what others are wearing are the French (89 per cent), Canadians (82 per cent) and Americans (80 per cent).

This pattern was maintained when people agreed or disagreed with the statement "I notice the brands of jeans that celebrities wear in magazines". An overall 26 per cent agreed, with the highest results in South Africa at 60 per cent and Malaysia at 42 per cent.

Hans Raemdonck, global head of decision systems for Synovate and a specialist in retail research, said the price would obviously change from market to market according to the standard of living.

"For the sake of easy comparison, we asked people to name their top price in US dollars for jeans they considered perfect for their needs. A whopping 44 per cent globally expect to pay less than $40 (Bt1,280), and this is not just confined to lower-income countries.

"Seventy six per cent of respondents in the States selected $1-$40 as the most they would pay, making Americans by far the lowest spenders for denim. Jeans companies have their work cut out for them in the States. People expect a great deal for their $40."

At the other end of the scale, 26 per cent of Russians surveyed said that they would spend $120 or more for jeans, with 10 per cent prepared to spend more than $200. 

The Nation