When you hit the mall to shop for sneakers, wouldn't it be great if Kevin Durant himself could whisper all about his Nike KD9 shoes in your ear? Well, now he can, at more than 300 Foot Locker locations nationwide.
The stores have been remodeled to resemble high-end galleries, and you'll find special codes next to select objects d'art (aka, sneakers). Enter the codes on your mobile device to hear sports and footwear celebs like Durant wax poetic about their gear, goals and careers—thanks to the chain's new "Audio Tours" campaign developed by BBDO New York.
Signage points shoppers to a mobile URL, and "many stores have beacons that work with the Foot Locker app," BBDO executive creative director Chris Beresford-Hill tells AdFreak. "If you walk into one of those, you are triggered with a [push notification] message asking if you want to take the Audio Tour. You can listen in any order, or check out only the shoes you like."
For a sample, watch the clip below:
Lucky that dude came to the mall with those rad headphones. They are not included, people!
A mix of ballers, designers and journalists recorded bits for the initiative. It targets "guys 16-24 who are always on their smartphones, always have headphones on their ears or around their neck, and have an appetite for knowledge about the kicks they buy," says BBDO's Dan Lucey, also an executive creative director.
"This execution helps make any shoe on our wall more special and meaningful than if you saw it somewhere else in the mall," adds Beresford-Hill.
Frankly, KD's audio-tour revelation about wanting "a shoe that's gonna fit me on the court" isn't exactly a game-changer. Still, the concept does, in theory, provide added value. And these days, brick-and-mortar stores need to run all the plays they can to keep customers in the aisles.
Foot Locker sees the campaign making strides over time, adding fresh content as new sneakers hit the shelves. "Just like a museum, exhibitions can go up and come down as more brands get involved," says Beresford-Hill.
Along with Nike, current brands taking part include Adidas, Puma and Timberland. In addition to Durant, your tour guides are Russ Bengston, Walt "Clyde" Frazier, Lance Fresh, Bobbito Garcia, Tinker Hatfield, Rich Lopez and Jacques Slade.
CREDITS
Agency: BBDO New York
Client: Foot Locker
Title: "Audio Tours"
Chief Creative Officer, Worldwide: David Lubars
Chief Creative Officer, New York: Greg Hahn
Executive Creative Directors: Chris Beresford-Hill, Dan Lucey
Senior Art Director: Brian Pinkley
Copywriter: Ricky Johanet
Account Director: Janelle Van Wonderen
Account Manager: Laura McWhorter
Account Executive: Sam Henderson
Assistant Account Executive: Christian Martinez
Project Manager: Amy Orgel
Production: EG Plus
Executive Producer: Anthony Curti
Producer (site): Yuki Suzuki
Technology Director: Konstantin Rozinov
Developer: John Cardoso
QA Manager: Jimmy McGee
Producer (audio): Renee Haar, Cat Erwin, Meredith Pariano
Editor (audio): John Cabrera
Audio: One Thousand Birds
Producer: Kira MacKnight
Editor: Calvin Pia