“There’s no going back.”
Student Work, Campaign for Birkenstock Shoes. Digital Media + OOH ads.
Elijah Cumbo (Art Director, Graphic Designer, Copywriter)
George Dover (Photographer)
Shanan Narsang (Photographer)
The Brief
Birkenstock wants a new campaign done in three mediums, showing why they stand out in the crowded footwear market, and how they’ve done it for 250+ years.
First Thoughts
I have Birkenstock Bostons, and I love my Birkenstock Bostons. To the point they’ve become outside shoes, which is trouble for me when it’s not Birk weather. But I still wear them out - why?
Because they’re comfortable. Because I like them. Becuase they’re such a well-made, beautiful product that I (and all of the Birkenstock owners I know) brave harsher conditions then they’re meant for in order to wear them. Once you’ve given them a try, they have this innate capacity to stay on your feet. They’re just yours. You have a relationship with them.
Birkenstock are also not an indie brand - we’re familiar with the product, but the experience is what we want to sell here.
So I got to researching Birks, I found an article about a man whose wife almost divorced him because he wouldn’t take off his Birks at church. That got me thinking - what are some really horrible places to wear Birkenstocks to - both socially and safety-wise? Places that would prove people would wear Birkenstocks anywear.
Weddings, construction sites and high level sporting events topped the list of inappropriate, mother-in-law-fainting, friendship ruining, toe damaging places you could take your Birks. I wanted to push the idea to the point of ridiciulousness to prove it - I, and others, love these shoes so much, they’ll put themselves at a disadvantage just to keep them on.
Target Audiences & Media Plan Our target audience then, are adults who wear Birkenstocks - anywhere from age 18-70. That’s very broad, but each ad will zero in on a certain demographic in that range and be presented via a medium that works with that demo.
So for the wedding ad, we’re doing a print ad for bridal magazines. We’re looking for adults, mostly women, aged 26-38 who are getting married / looking to get married, and need comfortable footwear. We want them to form a relationship with their Birks that’ll stand the test of time. Because it’s a magazine ad, we have text space & time to wax poetically about the connection between you and your Birks.
The construction ad would be a billboard on the 401, targeted at trade workers coming home from jobs. They’re stuck in traffic, they’re tired, and they just want to sit down and be comfortable. We want them dreaming of taking the boots off, and putting the Birks on. Usually men, ages 18-44.
High level sports are filled with superstition and routine. Sidney Crosby’s worn the same ancient jock strap for 25 years. He’s worn it because he has a very serious, very superstitutious, Stanley Cup-winning relationship with it. We want to create a relationship like that with Birkenstock and young athletes. The comfortable shoes you slip into after a game, or on a rest day, or on the way to practise - they should be Birks. We’ll have it as a web banner, for younger online shoppers (ages 16-24) already looking for the cleats to take them to the Premier League.
Executions