RED WING: ICON

APAC 360 integrated campaign for American heritage footwear brand Red Wing Shoes

SUMMARY

A NEW GENERATION OF FANS

Red Wing Shoes has been the leader in quality handmade footwear since 1905. With a strong presence in Asia, especially Japan, Red Wing needed a new marketing campaign to reach and speak to a younger audience across the continent in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia, and Singapore.

CHALLENGE

REFLECTING THE PAST. PROJECTING THE FUTURE.

Red Wing has spent over 100 years building a loyal and dedicated fan base. The brand is steeped in heritage and legacy. How do we engage a new, connected, youthful audience while respecting the old guard demographic that have shown such loyalty from the beginning? The story lies somewhere in the middle. We approached this project with three main pillars: Honesty, sincerity, and transparency. The Red Wing brand’s identity is so cemented, any attempt to pull a full 180 and go full street hype would have been too jarring and risk alienating its core fanbase, the majority of whom are middle aged. We needed to strike a balance. Get young people’s attention, while paying respect and homage to the brand’s rich history and past. A passing of the baton, from old to new.

THE CAMPAIGN

THEN. NOW. FOREVER.

This campaign is about legacy—Past, present, and future.

Red Wing has never been bound by time, place, or status. It moves fluidly and confidently across borders, class, and generations. This is a story of the evolution of Red Wing and its transition into the new era. It’s once again staking its claim as a torchbearer for culture and community, fueled by passion and integrity.

Red Wing carries you through life with quality and reliability while staying stylish and fashionable, no matter the time and place.

The campaign line—‘Then. Now. Forever.’ speaks to the Red Wing brand's fundamental timelessness and its ethos of quality, craftsmanship, and universal style. It means that Red Wing is iconic and transcends time and eschews trends while blazing its own trail. 

Red Wing was the epitome of cool then, just as it is now, and forever will be. 

Red Wing never goes out of style, and now we’re taking the brand into a new era, to a new generation, just as we’ve done since 1905, and will continue to do, forever.

THEN

The past and nostalgia bleeding into the present, illustrated by mix of black and white and color with vintage styling

NOW

‘Now’, shot on film and digital to convey the duality of Red Wing’s two eras and sensibilities combined with contemporary styling courtesy of Neighborhood.

FOREVER

‘Forever’ speaks to Red Wing being sustainable a century before it became a buzzword. They foster a community culture of renewal and upcycling.

PRODUCT

THE FILM

We had a lot of fun anthropomorphizing a pair of boots. This is the life story of a pair of Red wing boots. Red Wing has never been bound by time, place, or status. It moves fluidly and confidently across borders, class, and generations. It’s character and personality earned and developed, remaining iconic, transcending time and eschewing trends while blazing its own trail. Our hero lives through the eras, with the bumps, scratches, and broken hearts to show for it.

RETAIL THEATER

Campaign exhibited shop wide

Photographer: Kageaki Smith

Client: Red Wing Shoes