Dr. Martens champions rebellious self-expression in Tough as You SS20 campaign

Iconic footwear brand Dr. Martens has launched the next iteration of its Tough as You campaign for SS20, which aims to show how Dr. Martens’ rebellious past continues to influence and empower the next generation of freethinkers 60 years on.

Rooted in the understanding that putting on a pair of Dr. Martens makes the wearer feel empowered, the 360 campaign centres around four contributors – grime punk musician Bob Vylan, body-positive activist Lotte Van Eijk, rock band Naked Giants, and model Avie Acosta. Each contributor was selected to represent the brand because of the powerful message of resilience they spread every day.

The campaign, created by global socially-led creative agency We Are Social with production from We Are Social Studios, launches with a one-minute film featuring all four contributors. The film is now live on Dr. Martens’ global social channels and will be hosted on  drmartens.com along with additional information about each contributor.

To help bring Dr. Martens’ consumers to the forefront of the campaign, each digital element will contain a call-to-action posing the question ‘what does tough mean to you?’, encouraging the Dr. Martens community to share their own interpretation of toughness in 2020.

Throughout the filming process, We Are Social used creative art direction* and lighting techniques to create a striking yellow colour palette, synonymous with the Dr. Martens brand. In the series of films, this yellow colour is used to define the here and now, separating it from the black and white used to heighten powerful moments in the contributors’ stories.

Over the next few months, the film will be supported by digital display and out-of-home advertising, as well as an always-on content strategy for social featuring cut down film assets of the individual contributors’ stories. 

Tough as You aims to grow the brand’s footprint in both new and existing audiences – specifically Gen Z, while educating people about Dr. Martens’ rich heritage of empowerment and diversity.

Andrea Moore, global marketing director, Dr. Martens said: “Looking back on six decades of Dr. Martens and youth culture, we identified four stories which are manifesting themselves in new ways in 2020. Our contributors, all of whom are already Docs wearers, inspire others to be resilient every day. Posing the question of ‘what does tough mean to you?’ we’re aiming to show the commonalities across our global communities and inspire people to have the courage to do what they want to.”

Jennifer Lawlor, senior producer, We Are Social Studios, said: “It was important throughout this campaign that we authentically showcased our contributors’ incredible strength and character. By using a variety of camera techniques and filming on 16mm, we were able to create a world that was unique to each contributor. Our Director, Taz Tron Delix, brought our vision for these worlds to life with a powerful energy and punk aesthetic which remains true to the Dr. Martens heritage, and the rebellious spirit of the brand.”

Source: We Are Social

  Dr. Martens, OOH campaign, TV Advertising, We Are Social