Campaign With 'Sole' Reinvigorates 1970s Brand
A recent campaign to revitalize Dr. Scholl's Exercise Sandals turned a $55,000 PR budget into $1,885,255 worth of advertising equivalency, garnering publicity from all types of media outlets and celebrities.
The wooden-soled sandal, once ubiquitous in drug stores in the 1960s and 70s, had practically vanished from the consumer's mind and drugstore shelves in the following years.
The sandals' manufacturer, St. Louis-based The Brown Shoe Company wanted to develop a PR campaign that would "make the brand relevant to the 90s fashion-conscious consumer." And to aid in the effort Brown did its part by creating Dr. Scholl's lines that sport fabrics like suede, colors like chartreuse and tangerine, metallics such as "Hologram" and even a version in black patent.
The campaign by New York-based Cairns & Associates had four objectives:
- Build media and consumer awareness of Dr. Scholl's Exercise Sandals as cross- generational, fashion-forward footwear;
- Establish the sandals as a must-have fashion item of the season;
- Position the sandals as footwear with "Cult appeal"; and
- Promote a philosophy of originality for the line.
The campaign won the Big Apple Award in 1997 in the category of Marketing Communications/Support of Existing Products as it successfully wooed and then captured the attention of the New York fashion world's editors and other members of the press.
Fashionably Fun
Instead of directly approaching New York's elite fashion press, however, Cairns put the shoes in the hands of fashion designers known for their fun and innovative work, thus gaining cachet from partnering with high-visibility style arbiters, says Christine Gotz, VP, Cairns.
"We felt we had to get buy-in from the fashion community and create credibility, and then leverage it," says Gotz. "We went straight to the fashion runways because the press wouldn't have necessarily believed us."
Five designers used Dr. Scholl's exclusively in their collections at the Council of Fashion Designers 7th (Ave.) Sixth Runway Shows, including 2B!, Joe Boxer, Jill Stuart, Mark Eisen and Girls Rule.
To maximize national and regional press exposure surrounding the fashion shows, Cairns procured photography and b-roll footage. Press kits were sent to top newspaper and consumer magazines and fashion writers. Regional and national broadcast producers were offered the b-roll.
Cairns also strategically pitched the story to the fashion press from a number of tailored angles. Accessory editors were pitched a story on the resurgence of wooden accessories, while footwear editors were pitched about the return of platform shoes.
Once the sandals were seen on the runway and written about in the fashion community, Cairns broadened its pitch to include lifestyle and consumer publications and national TV outlets.
Overall media results were impressive: 377 million consumer impressions. More than 50 national and local network/cable stations ran with the story, reaching 40 million viewers. Coverage in magazines including Allure, Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping, Harper's Bazaar, McCall's, Mademoiselle, Seventeen, TV Guide and Vogue yielded 203 million reader impressions.
An editorial coup occurred when Seventeen asked seven high profile designers to restyle a pair of Dr. Scholl's in its June 1997 issue and "permanently secured Dr. Scholl's place in fashion," according to Cairns.
The full-page spread, which also was turned into a contest for its readers, featured the Scholl redesigns of Joe Boxer, Tommy Hilfiger, Roxy by Quicksilver, Kate Spade, Jill Stewart, Todd Oldham and XOXO.
Coverage by the Houston Chronicle, San Francisco Chronicle and The Washington Post contributed to 33.5 million reader impressions generated by newspaper placements.
Brown Shoe Company subsequently gained placement of the sandals in Bloomingdale's and Saks Fifth Avenue, and reports selling 2 million pairs in 1997.
Celebrity Event Raises Cash, Profile
Additionally, in November 1997, Brown became the title sponsor for The Children's Hope Foundation's annual holiday benefit. The organization raises money for children with HIV and AIDS.
Cairns sent 350 celebrities a pair of Dr. Scholl's, a participation and instruction kit and asked them to decorate and autograph the sandals for the silent auction portion of the evening. More than 75 celebrities participated, including Terry Bradshaw, Bill Cosby, Celine Dion, Fran Drescher, Goldie Hawn and Matt Lauer.
After viewing a selection of the shoes, Bloomingdale's agreed to feature a dozen pairs of celebrity-decorated Dr. Scholl's in the windows of its flagship store in Manhattan, thus providing exposure for the event and the product.
More than $125,000 was raised at the event, up $25,000 from the preceding year, says Gotz, which cost $35,000 to produce. Additionally, TV exposure and print coverage resulted in more than 42,900,000 audience impressions.
(Christine Gotz, Cairns & Associates, 212/407-0738; Lisa Hanly, Brown Shoe Company, 314/854-3531.)
Cairns & Associates
- Founded: 1993
- Employees: 50
- Billings 1997: $4.4 million
Dr. Scholl's
- Founded: 1961
- First sold in U.S. in 1965
- Sales Peak: $1 million in 1972
- Sales in 1997: $2 million