2020/2021 Winners & Shortlists

Background

In the UAE, Converse’s target audience are the young, the rebellious and the leaders of the pack in the world of Skate/Action, Music and Street Art .The spaces where the our audience lives is currently saturated with brands vying for their valuable attention.The flagship store opened in May 2018. CHALLENGES: 1. The brand has strong recognition for its legendary silhouette that has been imitated by many fashion brands. 2. Sales were spiraling 3. The brand never marketed locally, and created its Instagram account on the 20th of October, 2018, after the flagship store opened. 4. When Converse releases exclusive drops, it generated a lot of excitement but rarely sells out nor is as coveted as competitors.

The Interpretation of the Challenge (30% of vote)

BUSINESS CHALLENGES: The UAE street culture youth are not fans of the brand, which was overshadowed by competitors. Converse UAE only set up it's flagship store in May 2018, and created their first social media account in October 2018. Cut through the noise and raise honor the brand’s ethos. The spaces where the our audience lives is currently saturated with brands vying for their valuable attention. INTERPRETATIONS: The real challenge was that Converse was worn by the mothers. The ultimate trend killer. TARGET MARKET: The young, rebellious and leaders of the pack in the world of Skate, Music and Street-Art. DESIRED OUTCOME: 1.Gain the TA's attention 2. Built excitement about the brand 3. Increased social media followers, footfall, and sales (COMPLETELY SOLD OUT) 4. Organic reach

The Insight / Breakthrough Thinking (30% of vote)

We did what we did best, we reached out to the culture. We hung out with the TA at their favorite spots (skate parts, karak-tea spots, street corners and home sound studios). We spoke to them for hours to understand their culture, identity, passions, tension points, etc. to deeply understand their mindset. We learnt: - If your parents think it’s dope, it's dead. - You can't fake the funk. If you do, you get cancelled & called out. - Purposeful local brands are loved. - Exclusive sneakers are coveted - Disappointed by lack of collaborations between global and local brands. - They want to export their culture to the world in their way. - They yearn to own a statement piece that theirs and their culture's. - They respect and love brands that truly engages with and nurtures their culture - Most importantly, culture is made by those in it.

The Creative Idea (20% of vote)

STRATEGY: Make It Theirs. IDEA: Kicks & Karak: A Cultural Collab That Repositions Converse. We got the culture involved, and got to the heart of it. We made it home-grown. For the UAE by the youth who call this country their home. By making it theirs, we gave them ownership. Ownership of the customization, the narrative, sound, and how the story is told.

The Outcome / Results (20% of vote)

The noise generated online and offline by the youth was unprecedented. The results: 1. A collaborative piece that made a deep and authentic contribution to the culture. 2. 50% of the shoes were sold out on Day 1 and completely sold out in a week. 3. 57% increase in sales 4. 54% increase in footfall 5. Some of the most influential personalities joined and posted about - for the love of Converse and culture. Making our campaign a true success...coveted by collectors, sneaker-heads, GenZ of the UAE and lovers of the culture.

Please tell us about the challenger brand and how your campaign challenged / was different from your competitors

Simply, while competitors have been present with their own flagship stores and actively communicating in the market for 15 years, Converse was nowhere to be seen except on 3rd party retail stores and bootleg stores. Converse UAE was in an unfortunate position that needed to undone.