As a leading British heritage brand, Dr. Martens focuses on inspiring today’s youthful tastemakers by utilising a combination of digital media content with regional events and campaigns.
1947: Dr. Martens is founded following the invention of the air-cushioned boot sole. 1960: The first original 1460 boot is sold in the UK. 1960+: The boots are sold to working-class laborers, gaining popularity over the decade. 1970+: The brand is adopted by various subcultures, forging deep connections with the music and creative industries. 2004: Dr. Martens successfully rebrands towards a younger customer following a financial downturn.
Dr. Martens prides itself on its rich history, ties with non-conformist individuals and high quality industrial manufacture. It has long been a symbol of working-class pride, rebellion and empowerment. A Dr. Martens YouTube video states ‘we stand for united spirit, individual style, being British and being made like no other’.
Dr. Martens puts emphasis on the in-store experience, commissioning local artists for store decoration and involving local bands in events. Stores feel inspired, unique, and genuine - qualities that appeal to today’s young trendsetters. Dr. Martens aims to immerse itself in local culture but should go beyond its store to local businesses, venues and events. This will connect the brand with influential tastemakers and help it to align with their interests and requirements.
Campaigns like #STANDFORSOMETHING, centered on personal beliefs and style, generate conversation between Dr. Martens and their customers. Videos promote different authentic characters and fans get involved by using in-store photo booths and social media. The popular campaign included a rock music tour, bringing young music and fashion lovers together off and online.
In order to ensure the continued success of this campaign, Dr. Martens should tailor it to a regional level, focusing on what local people in different cities stand for. This solidifies regional identities and can inform future regional campaigns. It also aids the interaction between local people and their Dr. Martens store.
Dr. Martens is a big social media user, managing 8 accounts, where it promotes its latest campaigns, products and events, profiles young tastemakers and holds competitions.
An analysis on Dr. Martens’ strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats as a global brand.
Newcastle is known for its industrial, working-class background, buzzing creative scene and youthful vibe, making it a good fit for Dr. Martens. Locals are loyal to the brand and praise its durability and quality.
“Dr. Martens boots are up there with the best. They feel like something everybody should have a pair of, you know?” – Louis Jopling, filmmaker. Areas such as Monument, Grainger Market, Ouseburn and Jesmond attract a variety of cultural tribes, with strong interests in music, fashion and the arts. The Boiler Shop Steamer is one of Newcastle’s most popular monthly events, combining blues and soul music with street food vendors and a DIY approach. Newcastle’s tribes are ripe for Dr. Martens to access. To do so, it must focus on events, campaigns and social media content that reflect the tastes of those who live there. Local musicians, bloggers, creatives and networkers should be targeted with interesting images, videos, events and competitions.
Dr. Martens needs a new regional direction, and The Professional Creators are a target market that will allow the brand to explore unmarked territory.
These young, creative professionals are interested in the arts, music and local culture, and can often be found in the Ouseburn or Jesmond districts. They visit local galleries, festivals and independent cinemas and dine in restaurants serving local, organic produce and craft beers. As sociable individuals, they are influential within the city and inspire other creatives and younger students who they come into contact with at different local venues.
Fashion is very important to this consumer, and they most likely shop in stores such as Zara, COS, Reiss, Acne and Topshop/Topman. As they are professionals, they have disposable income and like to invest in high quality, versatile pieces of clothing and footwear. Every purchase is considered, and these individuals need to feel a personal connection to a brand before shopping with them. This target consumer is a great fit for Dr. Martens in Newcastle. The city thrives on creativity and many of its creatives work in refurbished factories that once housed its manufacturing industry. Dr. Martens prides itself on its attention to detail and high quality, so a true connection could be formed with this consumer.
RAISE DR. MARTENS’ PROFILE AMONGST YOUNG, CREATIVE PROFESSIONALS WITHIN NEWCASTLE
ENCOURAGE LOCAL PEOPLE TO SHARE AND ENGAGE IN POSITIVE CONVERSATION ONLINE WITH DR. MARTENS
COLLABORATE AND FORM CONNECTIONS WITH INFLUENTIAL LOCAL BUSINESSES
BOOST THE POPULARITY OF THE #STANDFORSOMETHINGNCL HASHTAG
INCREASE AWARENESS OF DR. MARTENS’ 1461 SHOES
PROMOTE DR. MARTENS’ HIGH QUALITY INDUSTRIAL MANUFACTURE
#STANDFORSOMETHINGNCL is being used to promote a Dr. Martens film aimed at young, creative professionals in the North East. The film focuses on the brand’s excellent industrial manufacture and attention to detail.
With a primary focus on social media, this campaign will utilize Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest. These channels outperform the brand’s other platforms and work well in a creative context. Dr. Martens will also collaborate with independent culture magazine ‘The Crack’ on its website as well as a number of local businesses.
What Does Newcastle Stand For? A competition inviting local people to share their answer to the question by submitting a creative image to Dr. Martens’ Facebook, Twitter or Instagram accounts using the campaign hashtag. The winner will receive a £150 Dr. Martens gift card and an exhibition slot at Hoult‘s Yard. A week before the launch, ten finalists will be announced online and invited to an exclusive event at Hoult’s Yard on 14th May. Each creation will be exhibited and a winner will be chosen by Kari Owers of O and Amy Nelson of Dr. Martens. Food and drink will be provided by local businesses dAtbAr and Deli Delivered and two local bands will perform. Regional press will attend, including the digital features editor for The Crack. The finalists’ work will then be exhibited for three weeks.
AIM: connect local creatives to Dr. Martens on a personal level
Style It Newcastle A campaign for one individual to win a pair of 1461 shoes. A teaser video will be released via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram directing visitors to the brand’s Pinterest account, where they must follow the #STANDFORSOMETHINGNCL board and repin a 1461 shoe from it. They must then use the shoe and other pins to create an individual outfit board named after the campaign hashtag. A winner will be announced post film launch.
AIM: promote individual style and the wearability of the 1461 shoe The Crack Collaboration Dr. Martens will partner with The Crack, offering behind the scenes access to the film set, an interview with Amy Nelson, streaming of the video on their website and access all areas to the Hoult’s Yard finalists event and launch. This will result in features on their website, which is accessed by a large proportion of the creative professionals in the area. It will be promoted via The Crack’s social media accounts, which have a combined total of 15k followers.
AIM: collaborate with an influential local business with links to the target audience.
The film launch will take place at 8pm on Friday 15th May, premiering on Facebook and as a livestream at The Late Shows, a free local after-hours culture festival.
On the day, Dr. Martens will launch an app on their Facebook page asking its Newcastle followers to take photographs of their Dr. Martens shoes or their individual style. Each upload begins to fill an image of a giant 1461 shoe up with smaller images. If the shoe is completely filled with images 30 minutes prior to the launch, a 25% discount code on 1461 shoes will be activated for Newcastle customers at the end of the film.
AIM: encourage sharing and build hype around the film launch
In the meantime, Hoult’s Yard will be open as part of The Late Shows, exhibiting finalists’ work, displaying products and featuring a large screen which will show the app, encouraging visitors to take part, and a countdown to the film launch in yellow and black. At 8pm, the brand will launch the video onto Facebook, and the screen’s countdown will end, presenting a live stream to an audience of cultured and creative individuals. It will play for a further 3 weeks as part of the finalists’ exhibition and will be uploaded onto The Crack website and YouTube.
AIM: immediately introduce the film to key local consumers and embed Dr. Martens in the local creative scene
Creativity and quality industrial manufacture are stamped into Dr. Martens’ rich history. Attention to detail reigns supreme in everything we do, from our expertly crafted sole to our signature welt. Newcastle shares our vision, and joins us to celebrate our iconic 1461 shoe in all of its refined glory. We stand for attention to detail. What do you stand for? www.drmartens.com