The yellow thread

Multimedia campaign

Brief. Conceive a transmedia

campaign to bring music-based

communities linked to

Dr. Martens together again

in the offline world.

 

Insight. Dr. Martens has lost its connection with music and it is now mainly perceived as a fashion brand. However, Dr. Martens’ heritage is still alive in its consumers’ mind.

 

Idea.  Convey Dr. Martens’ rebellious spirit by leveraging on nostalgia, using its unique heritage and its historical link with music. The campaign starts with a fictional character on radio and then spreads its contents through different channels and live events.

 

Media Strategy. Outdoor posters, social media posts (Spotify ads included) and 6 radio episodes will lead the Dr. Martens fans to the app.

 

 

The Story. We created 6 short stories about a fictional male character that has received a mysterious tape and a pair of old Dr Martens. Every song from the tape reminds him of a moment of his first love story, occurred in the 70s.

 

 

The couple’s relationship is linked with historical events and with Dr. Martens, as a strong but subtle leitmotiv.

 

 

2. First sight

Song: Pinball Wizard, The Who, 1975

 

To me it wasn’t just a game: playing pinball made me feel like a god, literally. Everyone was staring at me, completely amazed. That silver ball was in my power, the flippers an extension of my fingers. In the pub they adored me, you could see it in everyone’s eyes. Everyone’s but hers. “You think you’re the ‘pinball wizard’, mate?” a sassy voice said. I turned, ready to fight fire with fire- But well...I simply couldn’t. All of a sudden, all the noises went quiet, everyone else disappeared for me and it was only her, me and “Pinball Wizard”. “Come on, move” she said, with a pretentious smile. And I couldn’t resist, I just moved like a pinball just moves after being hit by one of the flippers- . And she killed it: she wasn’t just playing, she owned that game... All my former glory, all that power...gone, erased- by her. But, at the end of the day, who cares? Because I realized: I was in love.

 

 

 

3. The search

Song: Angie, Rolling Stones, 1973

 

Memories are such a strange thing...they are supposed to define who you are, but most of the time they are just blurred spots, words and smiles that you combine together in your mind, like a film director. But when I heard “Angie” on this tape...well, it was just like being there again. I asked about her to my skin friends, nobody had seen her before that night. She wasn’t one of us, at least that was clear. But, for some reasons, I had the feeling that she was...right for me, you know what I mean? Well, I searched all the skin, mod, glam and hippie pub and, finally, I met her again: the Stones were playing this sad song and she said “I feel so stupid saying that but... We only met once, I know..but somehow I feel like I’ll know you very well... where does this lead us from here?”

 

 

 

 

The gigs. The app also reveals the location of a secret gig related to the specific episode running on radio. Every episode is indeed followed by an event shaped by the music genre described on the episode. The app is the only way to known about the events.

 

 

Content and podcasts. One of the app’s aims is to collect all the radio episodes and provide with more “snack content” related to the brand. These screens show the main interface which leads to the “branded heritage“, to the event description and to the podcast of a specific episode. Here are some examples of content.

 

 

The contest. The app’s users can also participate in a contest, which will give them the chance to win a pair of  Dr. Martens. By registering themselves at the gigs’ location, the users will collect the “pieces” of a shoe which, once completed and submitted, will shortlist them for a unique pair of Dr. Martens.

 

See the whole app prototype!

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Creative Team Toolkit by Angela Cannavò and Nadia Conti. Contact us ange.and.nadi@gmail.com