Sneakers are an American obsession. Everyday, new limited edition shoes from the likes of Nike, Adidas and New Balance are released to the hoards of obsessed collectors. Many of whom will buy and resell online. But it's only the shoes that make the most noise that become the most sought after.
In the autumn of 2014, New Balance Canada was poised to launch a limited edition collection of its own – The Woods Pack, with five pairs of shoes in the classic 574 style. But rather than release the collection solely in the U.S., the brand decided to do something different – it made The Woods Pack available only in Canada.
Havas Worldwide was tasked with increasing New Balance Canada's online share of voice so sneaker collectors would take notice and purchase The Woods Pack. However, with no endorsement deals and a small overall budget, making a lot of noise seemed nearly impossible.
Sneaker collectors, also known as Sneakerheads, were the primary target while lifestyle fashionistas were the secondary demographic.
Knowing sneakerheads favour Twitter and Instagram for the fast breaking news and as the source for exclusive sneaker images respectively,the team made these two social platforms the focus for connecting with the primary target. Facebook was used to help the campaign reach the wider secondary audience as well as encourage sharing.
Since The Woods Pack was available only in Canada, the brand and agency decided to give a pair to everyone in Canada. The catch? It was Canada, Kansas; a small, rural community about 250 kilometers outside of the Missouri border.
The team travelled to Canada, Kansas, and over a three-day period gave each resident a pair of The Woods Pack in exchange for their thoughts on the style, fit and feel. They captured each interaction to create online-only content ranging from 15-second teasers and a 90-second launch film to post-launch videos and in-store point of sale.
The campaign coincided with The Woods Pack launch on September 9th and ran until October 15th.
The online video portion of the campaign appeared across New Balance Canada's social media platforms, with a focus on Twitter and Instagram. The in-store point of sale posters and window displays appeared in all 17 New Balance stores across Canada.
The sneaker community instantly picked up the campaign, appearing on notable sneaker culture and fashion blogs as well as news media sites, including Brag Affair, Reddit, The Loop, Trend Hunter, Yahoo News, and in particular, Marc Ecko's Complex.com, which garnered New Balance Canada millions of organic impressions.
New Balance Canada's online share of voice increased dramatically, with organic brand reach soaring 163%. Twitter followers nearly doubled, growing by 89%, while Instagram followers rose 24%.
Shortly after the campaign's launch, The Woods Pack shoes began appearing on eBay and other reseller sneaker websites, being resold by collectors for as much as 70% above retail price.