In 1945, Klaus Märtens injured his ankle whist on leave from the Army. He found his army boots too uncomfortable, so started to design an improved pair of boots, adding air cushioned soles made of tyres and soft leather. He teamed up with an old university friend Dr Herbert Funck in 1947, sales had grown so much that by 1959 Märtens and Funck looked into marketing the footwear internationally. R.Griggs Group Ltd bought the patent rights to manufacture the shoes in the UK. Griggs anglicised the name, re-shaped the heel, added the trademark yellow stitching and trademarked the soles as AirWair. The first pair of Dr Martens rolled off the production line on 1 April 1960 (known as style 1460, they are still in production today) from the Cobbs Lane Factory in Wollaston. Although production of most Dr Martens boots has moved to Asia, the Cobbs Lane Factory still produce shoes for the brands “Made In England” range.
Worn by rebellious teenagers and adults alike, from Punk to Mod and Grunge, Dr Martens has a history embedded in music, fashion, heritage and subculture. Dr Martens was, and still is seen as a pillar for self-expression and rebellion. Dr Martens are proud of their industrial heritage, placing the up most importance on how Dr Martens boots are made, selecting only the best leather. The boots made in Asia are made using the same techniques as those created in the UK and Dr Martens place just as much importance on fair treatment of employees as they do for cost, delivery and quality when choosing suppliers.
Dr Martens current E-PR marketing campaign ties in with the brands #standforsomething campaign, a global campaign first launched in 2013 aiming to celebrate celebrate free-thinking individuals. The campaign has been a huge success with the hashtag being used over 60,000 times on Instagram alone. On the Dr Martens Facebook page they have initiated a “Share Your Style” app, where customers take a photo of their DM’s, and state what they stand for in order to be in with a chance to win a pair of Dr Martens. You can search the app by City, in order to see those taking part regionally. Dr Martens YouTube channel regularly posts videos from the #standforsomething music tour and from the #standforsomething campaign.
The Dr Martens store in Newcastle opened on 4th September 2013 to a highly successful launch, the store excelled itself against previous store launches, generating more money than the New York and Paris stores. Shortly after the store opening Dr Martens launched their first ever “#standforsomethingNCL” search, a regional hunt for an authentic Dr Martens wearer hailing from the North East to star in the Spring/Summer 15 campaign. Possible candidates were asked to enter via Twitter, attaching a photo and saying what they stood for, along with “#standforsomethingNCL.” The campaign was a moderate success, although lots of people entered the competition, the hashtag has only been used 70 times on Twitter and a mere 17 times on Instagram, which is a stark comparison to the amount of followers and tweets the national #standforsomething campaign has.
Dr Martens has a strong social media following on all of its handles, however some social media is improperly used, for example, Vine and Google +. The brands Vine page has only 5 posts, and does not have direction or consistent frequency of posts. The Google + page seems unnecessary as the content is not original and is re-blogged from either the blog, tumblr or the Dr Martens website. Although the Instagram and Twitter accounts have huge numbers of followers, the posts can sometimes lack depth and sincerity, there isn’t enough interaction between followers and the brand, specifically on a regional level. If Dr Martens are going to roll the #standforsomething campaign to other cities, they need to engage with their audience on a more personal level, getting involved in the culture and heritage of each city.
Primary Audience- The Independent Josh is 23 years old and works at End Clothing on High Bridge Street. He lives for the weekend and loves hanging out with friends, spending his weekends going out in Newcastle. Josh has different music tastes and can go from liking alternative music to techno, but above all he loves supporting local talent. He goes to Loop and Shindig to see local DJ’s, but can also be found at the Cluny and The Boiler Shop Steamer supporting local musicians. His favourite hangouts are the Naked Deli and Jam Jar in Jesmond. Amongst Dr Martens his favourite brands are Hype, Chained and Able, and Capology. Josh doesn’t follow trends and prefers to dress how he wants, rebelling against typical subcultures and embracing them all. He has loads of followers on social media such as Twitter and Instagram but is selective about who he follows back, preferring to keep it to close friends, and brands.
Secondary Audience- The Not-so-typical Teen Lauren is 16 and is at college studying Art and Design, she doesn’t have a big friendship group but she is very close to her friends. She loves social media and follows loads of people on Instagram and Twitter for inspiration and fashion ideas. She regularly shops in Urban Outfitters, Primark and loves the vintage boutiques on High Bridge Street. All of her friends have Dr Martens, and she’s just bought a floral pair after saving up for months. Although she doesn’t have any money at the minute, she’s always going in-store to look at the next pair she wants. She loves music, particularly local bands like Little Comets and Maximo Park.
•To increase brand awareness about Dr Martens within the North East. •Embed #standforsomethingNCL on social media regionally. •Utilize social media to simulate positive conversations and build relationships with followers around the campaign #standforsomethingNCL •Increase sales through effective promotion for this campaign- 50% lift Vs LFL/LY •Measure the brand growth in Newcastle due to the #standforsomething, through followers on social media. •Reach out to a new and creative audience. •Keep in contact and build on relationships with existing audiences.
Newcastle is a culturally rich city with history and heritage, much like Dr Martens, but many of the residents do not make an effort to go out and explore their city, visit local venues or listen to local musicians. We want to encourage the residents of Newcastle to have fun, explore and really get to know the wonderful city they live in. This ties in with the fashion film and also allows Dr Martens to connect with the city on an emotional and personable level. The fashion film will be launched on 4th September 2015- the 2nd anniversary of the Dr Martens store in Newcastle. Teaser activity for the campaign will begin 2 months before the film launch, before progressing into a competition and ultimately, the film launch. Using the three social media platforms with the biggest number of followers (Instagram607K, Twitter-136K Facebook-1.28Million) ensures maximum exposure for the campaign. In order to strengthen the number of people reached in Newcastle, we will team up with NE1 Newcastle, who will retweet on Twitter and also put an announcement on their website and Facebook page. We will also team up with local bloggers, who will be asked to share the competition with their followers and get involved themselves.
How well do you know your city? Do you know where the punks hung out in the 80’s, or where the cool kids had their breakfast? Where the hipsters shop for second hand clothes or the city workers have a coffee? Do you know that little restaurant that serves the best breakfast, or where to see the best local talent? When was the last time you spent the day wandering around, exploring cobbled streets? Ask yourself again, how well do you know your city? I stand for exploring, what do you stand for. #standforsomethingNCL.