Forty Forty’s New ‘HybridLife’ Campaign for Keen Footwear Features Two-Way Dialog With Customers
BERKELEY, CA – OCT. 11, 2005 – Untraditional branding agency Forty Forty has launched “HybridLife,” a national integrated marketing campaign for Alameda, CA-based Keen Footwear, the fast-growing maker of hybrid footwear. The initial component of the campaign features print ads appearing in Outside and Outside Traveler magazines, Men’s Journal, Trailrunner, Relix and a variety of other national publications. The ads ask readers to share their versions of the “HybridLife.”
BERKELEY, CA (PRWEB) October 12, 2005 -- Untraditional branding agency Forty Forty has launched “HybridLife,” a national integrated marketing campaign for Alameda, CA-based Keen Footwear, the fast-growing maker of hybrid footwear. The initial component of the campaign features print ads appearing in Outside and Outside Traveler magazines, Men’s Journal, Trailrunner, Relix and a variety of other national publications. The ads ask readers to share their versions of the “HybridLife.”
“What is the HybridLife? It’s a balance of what matters most in a person’s life, all the things that motivate you, energize you, move you and give you deep satisfaction,” said Scott Drummond, one of the two founding partners at Forty Forty. “The founders of Keen are fervent believers in what they call a balanced life, balancing work, play and a commitment to social issues.”
He notes that Keen, for example, has demonstrated its own commitment to the greater good by donating close to $1 million to a variety of causes and non-profit organizations like Leave No Trace and Big City Mountaineers. “We realized that most of us at Keen live truly hybrid lives, balancing work and play with and a desire to give back in some way,” explained Mario DiFalco, Keen’s director of marketing communications. “It’s pretty central to who we are, as a company and a brand, and we’re betting lots of other people are doing the same kinds of things. Our goal with this initiative is to expand the Keen community through a celebration of the unexpected, emotional, hybrid lives of our consumers.”
Drummond said Keen will review the stories submitted by participants, then select those that best exemplify the concept of the HybridLife. Participants can also submit their own or a friend’s stories online at Keen’s Web site, www.keenfootwear.com/hybridlife.
The first two stories to appear in the next round of the campaign will feature Dr. Jessie Stone, an avid adventurer who also runs a malaria clinic in Uganda and a kayaking camp in Manhattan; and Janine LaCross, a Michigan mother of two who’s tackled the adventures of parenting with the same energy she shows climbing mountains.
Forty Forty creative partner John Trotter promises the supporting creative work will demonstrate a significant departure from traditional outdoor category campaigns. In addition, the marketing mix will eventually include untraditional outdoor events, which will allow participants to enjoy experiences around the HybridLife theme and share those experiences with others. Trotter said future segments of Keen’s HybridLife program might make use of consumer wireless technology that would feature interactions with Keen’s customers, especially among older teenagers and young adults.
About Forty Forty
Berkeley, California-based Forty Forty (www.4040exp.com)is a rapidly growing creative agency helping clients build their brands in new and unconventional ways. Forty Forty specializes in what they call untraditional branding: the creation of branding programs that strengthen communications through an integrated mix of unexpected creative, new technologies and experiences.
Forty Forty has demonstrated that innovative design and untraditional branding applications can bring results quickly. In their two years as lead agency for Keen Footwear, the once niche company has become a major player in the outdoor footwear market. Forty Forty has also worked with a host of restaurant brands, helping with the expansion of Napa Valley institution Oakville Grocery, repositioning Italian restaurant chain Piatti Locali for a major re-imaging of their identity, and ushering artisan food merchant Sellers Markets from brand concept to brand reality. In addition, Forty Forty has created untraditional branding programs for Citizens Bank and Charter One, as well as Visa, Disney and Home Depot.
Principals John Trotter and Scott Drummond have seen Forty Forty take off since opening in the spring of 2002. Trotter acts as Creative Partner, drawing from both his love of sports and over 15 years of experience in creative direction. As Strategic Partner, Drummond contributes his unique skills in using experience to drive brand strategy. Forty Forty combines the strategic rigor of a larger design firm with the creative innovation of the small studio to create a branding philosophy for the new millennium. Visit forty Forty at www.4040exp.com.
# # #
Bookmark -
Del.icio.us |
Furl It |
Technorati |
Ask |
MyWeb |
Propeller |
Live Bookmarks |
Newsvine |
TailRank |
Reddit |
Slashdot |
Digg |
Stumbleupon |
Google Bookmarks |
Sphere |
Blink It |
Spurl
|
