-DR. MARTENS x HEBBLEWHITE-
DR. MARTENS Situation Analysis: Dr. Martens is a British footwear and clothing brand that originated in 1960. Crafted by German innovator Dr. Klaus Maertens, who required supportive, comfortable shoes for his broken foot, the brand initially earned a reputation for functional, durable work boots. Revolutionised with the adoption of rebellious trendsetters, from skinheads to punks who refused to conform to social normalities, music icons such as Morrissey and Kurt Cobain acted as a platform that unintentionally strengthened the DM identity and encouraged the consumer loyalty seen today. Evolving far beyond its early association with British sub-cultures, the consumer demographic has since expanded from the niche market of maturing loyalists, to young creative free-thinkers who express themselves through music and fashion. Whilst retaining the brand’s rich heritage and culture, Dr. Martens focused on projects that young people were able to identify with, such as music festivals and theatre productions that fuelled global success; an authentic brand with a devoted relationship to music. Despite the endurance of many fading trends and subcultures, the spirit of the DM remains immersed in cultural relevance, celebrated by mainstream society and likeminded individuals across the world. Dr. Martens refuse to accept the conformity so often seen in the modern era, differentiating themselves from their competition through their brand values; authenticity, durability, utility, diversity, rebellion, empowerment and music – “the heartbeat of the brand” (Dr. Martens, 2016). With the backlash against conformity and the amicable bond between consumer engagement and brand persona, it seemed only natural that in 2013 Dr. Marten’s launched their recent campaign #StandForSomething
as a personalised invite for consumers to challenge perceptions and express their own culture, identity and beliefs through social engagement. Dr. Martens host a large range of social media platforms from Pinterest to Facebook as well as a blog that is regularly updated on their official website. With highly subscribed accounts, its clear that Dr. Martens create dialogue that connects, engages, and builds interaction to create a sense of brand community. This combined with curated local collaborations such as store launches that see live product customisation, in-store artwork and live music performances, inspire local communities to become involved in the doc experience. “Our September 2013 launch saw the collaboration between Dr. Martens and local artist Prefab77, that put a stamp on the Newcastle store at a local level, embracing Newcastle spirit at the heart of the store.” (Sales Associate, Dr. Martens, 2016). Dr. Martens have recently begun to expand their product lines to suit the needs of mainstream society as oppose to the typical doc consumer. Be it for functionality or high end fashion, the brand has diversified creating products that don’t necessarily look like the traditional boots with distinguished yellow stitching or oxblood leather. From soft leather soles for a more mature consumer seeking comfort, to fashion forward heels sported by Beyoncé at the 2016 Super bowl, new technologies and the evolution of product lines continue to reap appeal from new audiences. The brand has moved into a bold, and unmistakably British direction that has shifted towards a more credible fashion offering that still allows the wearers to adopt the footwear as part of unique individual style, from first time wearers to those who have been with the brand forever.
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+ NICHE MARKET & MAINSTREAM SOCIETY + INDIVIDUAL STYLE / UNITED SPIRIT + REBELLIOUS ATTITUDE / ACTIVISTS
TARGET AUDIENCE
+ DIVERSE AGE RANGE (16-LATE 30’S) + CONFIDENT AND SELF-EXPRESSIVE + CREATIVE FREE-THINKERS + AUTHENTIC CHARACTERS + LIKEMINDED INDIVIDUALS + MATURING LOYALISTS + SUBCULTURES
+ MUSIC + FASHION + PHOTOGRAPHY + ARTS & CRAFTS + SOCIALISING + GIGS + FESTIVALS + SKATEBOARDING
+ STREET FOOD + THEATRE
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SWOT ANALYSIS
REGIONAL ANALYSIS Kingston Upon Hull: + HUGE SHOPPING PRESENCE / ANNUAL FASHION WEEK + HELPED WITH ABOLITION OF SLAVERY (REBELLION) + CURRENT DR. MARTENS FAN BASE (SCHUH) + STRONG ART / MUSIC / THEATRE SCENE + SENSE OF COMMUNITY + CITY OF CULTURE 2017 + DR. MARTENS SPIRIT
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ONLINE AUDIT
OFFLINE AUDIT + STAFF EXPRESS INDIVIDUAL STYLES + STORE INTERIORS FEEL INSPIRED + FOCUS ON CUSTOMER SERVICE + CREATIVE, LIKE-MINDED STAFF + PERSONALISED TO THE CITY + STRONG MUSIC FOCUS + DR. MARTENS SPIRIT
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PR OBJECTIVES + CREATE A STRONG SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE THAT CONNECTS EMOTIONALLY TO THE AUDIENCE + REINSTATE THEIR DEDICATION TO INDIVIDUAL STYLES THAT COME TOGETHER AS A COMMUNITY + ENCOURAGE LOCAL COMMUNITY TO ENGAGE POSITIVELY WITH THE BRAND + COLLABORATE WITH LOCAL COMMUNITY AND INSPIRE CREATIVITY + GENERATE NEW AUDIENCES THROUGH PERSONALISATION + MAINTAIN BRAND VALUES AND HERITAGE THROUGHOUT
+ EMPHASISE INSPIRATION FROM THE CITY + SHOWCASE HULL AS A DR. MARTENS CITY
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MARK HEBBELWHITE Concept Proposal:
“WE ARE MORE THAN JUST A BOOT. WE ARE INSPIRED BY THE CITY.” To celebrate the news that a store will be opening in Kingston Upon Hull, Dr Martens will collaborate with local artist Mark Hebblewhite to showcase Hull as a Dr. Martens city. Building momentum by connecting with the local community prior to the store opening, the collaboration will inject a stamp of Hull culture in a celebration of the city. Hosted by Hull’s influential, popular event, the ‘Humber Street Sesh’, the event will comprise of a pop up stall designed to generate awareness of the Dr. Martens brand and encourage positive engagement between the brand and its local community.
21st century. Working regularly with artistic community Kingston Art Group, based in Hull City Centre, Hebblewhite is a perfect platform for the brand to inspire creativity and connect to their local audience on an emotional level. Why Hull? Winning the City of Culture award 2017, Hull’s vibrant sense of community seems a perfect match for Dr. Martens. Carrying a huge shopping presence, along with an annual fashion week, Hull already has an existing fan base that is currently being exploited by competitor Schuh.
What is the Humber Street Sesh? The Event: Described as a ‘festival for the people’, The Humber Street Sesh is an annual artist festival featuring 180+ bands and musicians, 12 live music stages, live art, arts and crafts, street food, skate parks, photography exhibitions and much more. Held annually at the Hull marina in August, the festival is a prime opportunity for Dr. Martens to position themselves in Hull and create emotional bonds between the brand and the consumer through the experiences they share at the festival. Who is Mark Hebblewhite? Mark Hebblewhite is a contemporary artist who lives in Hull, East Yorkshire with his wife, Claire and cat, Disco. His most recent work ‘Persistent Offender’ is a new collection of acrylic paintings that loosely combines elements of street-art, pop-art, and graffiti, exploring satire, communication, and a rebellious view of the
A pop-up stall will be created at Humber Street Sesh, inspiring the public to breathe new life to their Dr. Martens, reviving them with spray paints and glitter and everything in-between. The public will be encouraged to design their boots with Hull in mind, taking inspiration from the city and sharing their designs using the hashtag #WEAREHULLDM for a chance to win exclusive tickets to the store launch party and vouchers to spend in-store. As well as this, Mark Hebblewhite will create a live art mural that will act as a teaser to the exclusive print collection that will be available to buy on the night of the launch, using prints that act as walking art canvases to tell a proud story of Hull culture. A promotional film will be launched at the event and across social media platforms to celebrate the story of Hull in all of its glory.
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SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY
Throughout the event there will be an opportunity to have photographs taken in a Dr. Martens photo-booth. This will generate profit as well as give the audience memorabilia to take away from the event that will remind them of their experience. These photographs will also be uploaded to the Dr. Martens Facebook page where people will be able to tag themselves gaining more exposure to the event, and consequently the store launch. Regular updates will be shared across all social media channels and leaflets will be shared at the event to gain publicity for the store launch. YouTube will be optimised to share teasers of the video exploring a day in Hull. The hashtag #WEAREHULLDM will feature wherever relevant encouraging people to share their Hull inspired designs to be in with a chance of winning.
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TIMELINE
KEY INSPIRATIONS
+ CREATIVE FREE-THINKERS + 21ST CENTURY LIFESTYLE + HULL CITY OF CULTURE + UNAPOLOGETIC SPIRIT + LOCAL COMMUNITY + PERSONALISATION + SUBCULTURES + ART CULTURE + CREATIVITY Daily monitoring of social media platforms will ensure that the event is achieving the set objectives. Daily traffic will be monitored as well as interaction and engagement with the targeted audience in the form of likes, comments, shares, follows and tags. Other elements will also be reviewed such as the increase in social media followers, the responses to the campaign and traffic to the Dr. Martens website.
+ REBELLION + MUSIC
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“DR. MARTENS APPEAL TO PEOPLE WHO HAVE THEIR OWN INDIVIDUAL STYLE BUT SHARE A UNITED SPIRIT – AUTHENTIC CHARACTERS WHO STAND FOR SOMETHING. PEOPLE WHO POSSESS A PROUD SENSE OF SELF-EXPRESSION. PEOPLE WHO ARE DIFFERENT.”
FILM BLURB
- DR. MARTENS
Contemporary artist Mark Hebblewhite introduces a new print collection inspired by his hometown and current UK city of culture, Kingston Upon Hull. We take a look at how our boots continue to influence this thriving city and join the celebration of Hull in all of its refined glory. We are more than just a boot. We are inspired by the city. www.drmartens.com
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DE0923 MEDIA & PR / SAMANTHA HARTLEY / W14006142