Campaign Summary

Facing high product demand and diminished generation Z attention, Gushers created a limited-edition sneaker featuring the brand's signature "goo." The campaign centered around a digital scavenger hunt in ComplexLand, a metaverse festival, where teens could win the exclusive shoes. By partnering with Complex and leveraging sneaker culture influencers, Gushers successfully positioned itself as a lifestyle brand, significantly boosting brand perception and engagement without straining its supply chain.

Strategy

Objective

Gushers aimed to reignite brand love among generation Z without driving additional product demand, addressing the challenge of high demand and limited supply.

Context

The campaign leveraged teens' passion for fashion and the rising trend of sneaker culture to create a unique brand experience in both physical and digital worlds.

Target Audience

The campaign targeted teenagers at the intersection of fashion enthusiasm and sneaker culture hype.

Creative and Media Strategy

Gushers created a limited run of shoes with "Gush liquid" inside, partnering with footwear design collective RAL7000. The strategy involved behaving more like a fashion brand to capture teen attention and provide a platform for self-expression.

Execution/Use of Media

The campaign execution included:

1. Revealing the custom shoe design through behind-the-scenes videos across talent, Complex, and Gushers platforms
2. Creating a digital scavenger hunt experience in ComplexLand's metaverse festival
3. Designing an interactive "Mount Gusher" landmark in ComplexLand
4. Implementing a "Sole Quest" challenge for teens to win the limited-edition shoes
5. Engaging top TikTok sneaker influencers to style and inspire teens with the Gushers shoes
6. Driving participants to a final giveaway in the Sole Collector app

Business Impact

The campaign achieved significant results:

• 15-point lift in key brand perceptions ("Gushers is a cool brand")
• 14-point increase in brand favorability
• 4,905 entries into the sneaker giveaway
• 24,400 NPC interactions (2 times the benchmark)
• 4.87 percent engagement rate on editorial content (80 times above the 0.03-0.06 percent benchmark)
• 96.3 million earned impressions (200 percent above coverage goal)

Importantly, the campaign caused no additional strain on the supply chain, with product units remaining flat from May to June 2022.

The "Let Your Sole Out" campaign demonstrated a successful approach to enhancing brand perception without increasing product demand. By leveraging the metaverse and sneaker culture, Gushers positioned itself as a lifestyle brand resonating with generation Z. The campaign's ability to drive significant engagement and brand lift without impacting supply chain operations showcases a responsible and strategic approach that other brands can learn from and emulate. This initiative highlights the potential of innovative marketing strategies in balancing brand growth with operational sustainability.