Red Wing Shoes
Challenge:
With its small town roots and 100-year heritage of producing a quality, high-end work boot, Red Wing embodies the hard working American of its generation. Once known as the working man's shoe, the brand had eroded through the years in the minds of consumers, as the company shifted their focus toward product features in an effort to distinguish themselves from the competition.
Solution:
The footwear category had changed as a result of the introduction of a new type of shoe with a completely different purpose and personality.Not only did Red Wing have to reawaken their brand, they had to rouse their audience- the American workers, a group who shared the same values as the Red wing product and company. We summed up those shared values in the tagline "work hard" and re-celebrated the American worker across a variety of channels that communicated the strength and sweat of that message. To build the brand on all levels, we created a marketing program that would be used for the 1300 corporate-owned stores, as well as provide support to dealers responsible for the 4500 franchisee-owned stores. With the brand message running consistently throughout, this tool kit included print, outdoor, radio, TV and in-store applications. By the request from franchisees, we also provided training to guide them on how to best implement the communication elements so their funds would be used most wisely.
Results:
Sales increased. Post-advertising research results revealed that the brand had moved up in ad recall, value and brand recognition. The view of the company as the provider of the highest-quality work boot was reestablished in the minds of the target customers. Red Wing delivered on what it set out to accomplish.