“Whether to float with the tide or swim for a goal.” Recognize it? Those would be the astute words of the late great Hunter S. Thompson. He was giving life advice to a friend. He was also only 22 years old.
Boot brand, Red Wing Heritage has rolled out its first global campaign with Mr. Thompson’s very call to authenticity and individualism front and center in a 90-second spot.
“Red Wing Heritage is seen as an iconic brand,” said Aaron Seymour-Anderson, head of brand and creative. “We have a heritage of over 115 years and much of the success of the brand is that it has not been over marketed.”
To tell that story, the brand searched far and wide for those who live like their brand, unabashedly authentic and proud.
They settled on Hsu Hsiu-e and Chang Wan-ji, an 80 something-year-old Taiwanese couple who’ve become internet famous for wearing clothing left at their laundromat, Erin Brown, Philadelphia’s “Concrete Cowgirl,” who preserves the culture of Black cow boys and keeps at-risk kids off the street through the Philadelphia Urban Riding Academy, and Bioni Samp a U.K DJ/beekeeper who makes tunes from the sounds of his insects and raises awareness for the plight of the bees.
“People come to Red Wing to buy something that will last forever, so we’re tapping into that,” added Seymour-Anderson. “The moment right now gives us permission to own that.”
“When we started on the campaign,” he said, “we knew we needed to be authentic. And while that’s an overused word in marketing, Red Wing was authentic before it was cool. And we needed to find people who shared that ethos. We do things uniquely and differently and we wanted to celebrate those who defy conventions and intentionally live out of fashion.”
The stories will be showcased on Red Wing’s social media channels as well as in retail stores globally. The featured cast — all of whom will be wearing the Moc Toe boots — will also be sharing the message on their channels.
