Converse
The winning pitch messaging centered around disruption and individuality, but an issue surfaced of how to fold in team basketball into this over all communication approach.
I’M WITH BASKETBALL was the manifesto. The connective tissue between the Kurt Cobain kid in Chuck Taylors playing guitar alone under a tree, and the basketball team was passion and sense of purpose.
When the Lakers and Celtics renewed the rivalry in the NBA FINALS. The Converse’s WEAPON shoe, worn back Magic and Bird deserved to show up, but the brand had no relationship with either athlete.
WEAPRESENT put the focus on Los Angeles and Boston. A passion that spilled out the Forum and the Garden was owned by the fans, ready to REPRESENT where they’re from.
BAND OF BALLERS was the simple cross pollination of CONVERSE’S basketball heritage and creative spark. A round robin basketball tournament battle of the bands that became original programing on MTV 2.
To launch the EVO sneaker with no media buy, social was the lean and Charles Charles MaGalls, a fictitious billionaire industrialist, set on proving his dominance confronted superstar Dwyane Wade in a parking lot. Th confrontation kicked off a twitter beef, video challenges, phone numbers on jumbo-trons, and a billboard taunt in front of the Heats home arena.
Putitng friends on billboards is what it’s all about. The great Matty Goldberg challenges the Olympian.
Converse had too many logos and the case for the star chevron was, its’s just cooler than a star with a circle around it. I drew a lot of them, on the walls at the agency, made it fun, it felt Converse, and eventually became its own global campaign.
What made a CONS skater unique is they were all artists, saw the world a little different. All had extra curricular activities except Sammy Baca who was 100% straight shredder. So core skate, they couldn’t even find him to give him a check. WHERE IS SAMMY BACA was a campaign that showed how he saw the world different, a cheap hotel was really a gnarly rail. BACA forever.
DOMAINATION used GOOGLE search advertisements, not to sell Chuck Taylors, a shoe we all have owned but to give back. Teens searching how to kiss, how to tie a tie, and serious issues like depression. would be presented with corresponding creative that reflected the Converse brand’s levity for budges around $2.19.
This one didn’t go forward for legal reasons, but I love it.