Sorel unveiled its “Get Your Boots Dirty,” which is aimed at driving traffic to its stores at a time when many dealers are still flush with seasonal goods that did not sell last winter, which was the warmest in more than a century in most of the lower 48 states.
The campaign debuts in web-based video and print this month and will reflect how Sorel has blended fashion and function to move beyond its outdoor heritage. The campaign shows fiercely independent, creative and inspiring women from diverse disciplines who are living out their passions. The 2012 campaign launch features Leila Janah, founder and CEO of Samasource, a non-profit that creates jobs for people in countries where there is little opportunity. Janah is the first of many women who will be featured in Sorel’s Get Your Boots Dirty campaign.
To further extend the Get Your Boots Dirty campaign, Sorel introduces a new social media campaign and video series, titled Sorelstyle (#Sorelstyle). Using Facebook, Pinterest, Polyvore, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube to expand the campaign across multiple platforms, Sorelstyle features stylists curating inspired looks with Sorel boots. The series launches with Kemal Harris, from the celebrity styling duo Kemal & Karla, as she shares fresh ideas on how to wear Sorel’s Fall/Winter 2012 collection. Sorelstyle will launch in September and continue year-round, showcasing looks from diverse and independent thinkers within the fashion community.
“Get Your Boots Dirty celebrates women who make the world a more interesting place,” said Kimberly Barta, Sorel’s senior global brand director. “Women tell us they feel a sense of fearlessness and strength when they put on boots. We want to tell the stories of inspirational women, like Leila and Kemal, who are getting their boots dirty by putting their passions to work.”
Janah, for instance, she is shown wearing her Conquest Carly boots as she travels around the world on a mission for her non-profit. In the web-based video, as she loads her duffel into a small engine plane, we see the ruggedness of her surroundings as she describes how her life quickly moves between metropolitan to desolate villages around the world. Get Your Boots Dirty was created by Sausalito, California-based advertising agency, Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners (BSSP) in collaboration with renowned photographer, Tim Barber and videographer/editor, Caleb Seppala.
“Sorels don't just look great, they work,” said Gabrielle Tigan, art director from BSSP. “So we didn’t want to use models, instead we selected real women who embody the spirit of the brand. Women of character who have substance and style. By sharing their stories in Sorels, we hope to celebrate and inspire the same sort of passion in women everywhere.”
Get Your Boots Dirty will connect with like-minded doers and young women who share the same passion through an integrated campaign, headlined by print ads in ELLE, InStyle, Lucky, Interview, Nylon, Paper and Style.com Magazine throughout the fall and holiday season. Rich media extensions will appear on Style.com, NYT.com, WSJ.com, WMagazine.com, NYMag.com, Polyvore and FashionEtc, as well as in fashion newsletters on Rachel Zoe, WhoWhatWear, Refinery 29 and Daily Candy and blogs on Garance Doré, The Sartorialist and Street Peeper.
