A brand built to grow

Activating a heritage footwear brand with a sustainable message was a unique opportunity. With a new shoe being made in Los Angeles, in partnership with KX Labs, there emerged a unique opportunity to activate and give the brand new visibility.

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About the project

The heritage brand was founded in LA and gained early credibility as a leader in innovative footwear and silhouttes that transitioned from day to night. A clean, classic, minmailist brand, CLAE really pioneered this aesthetic in sneakers and built a category.

In the years following trends changed and other factors slowed growth resulting in the brand losing some visibility and marketshare. The opportunity to manufacturer a shoe in Los Angeles arose as a unique brand story and brought with it an opportunity to re-engage the audience and introduce the brand to new audiences.

Challenges

The heritage brand was founded in LA and gained early credibility as a leader within the footwear industry.

A campaign theme was developed showcasing the new shoe within the context of other sustainable players from Los Angeles. To help amplify the message and lend additional credibility, the following “LA players” were shot on location wearing the shoe. Content would be repurposed for the blog and showcased on the landing page as well as social and website.

Food - Canyon Coffee
Hospitality - Proper Hotel
Architecture - Dan Brunn Architecture
Fashion - Varsity Vintage

A brand film was created as the primary storytelling vehicle. Social assets were created from the main piece and a unique landing page was developed to pull everything together from the content shot to the stories of the participants. The launch event introduced the new shoe to the media and other Los Angeles influencers prior to the shoe’s release online.

Communication Strategy - Segmented content and message by audience
Communication Planning - Rolled out content over a period of time creating emphasis and freshness
Partnership Management - Seeded product to influencers for content and partnered with the LA campaign personalities to amplify the message.
Paid Advertising - Content was additionally boosted for more reach