guerrilla marketing

converse guerrilla marketing campaign   

Converse is an iconic brand that has created the timeless sneaker. We wanted to make sure that we were able to show its timelessness in a way that would catch people’s eyes, yet be moderately interactive for the audience/consumers.  Our idea is to take Converse shoe prints and lead people through cities to the front doors of a Converse store.  However, to bring in the “timeless” concept, there will be stops along the way with plaques that read “Walk in the footsteps of ________.”  The blank will be filled with the name of a celebrity from the past who is known for wearing Converse.  Each plaque will also list the years in which they were alive and a fun fact about their life.  The first fun fact will have to do with the immediate surroundings of the plaque.

     The two cities we chose are New York City, New York and Santa Monica, California.  The reasoning behind this is that both cities have a stand-alone Converse store, and both are known for being the “birthplace” of celebrities (literally and figuratively).  The two celebrities that we chose are Marlon Brando and James Dean.  The reasoning behind choosing these two actors is because they are both extremely famous, from the past, and are recognized as people who changed acting and fashion.  Martin Sheen once said, “Marlon Brando changed the way actors acted, and James Dean changed the way people lived” (Hiebert, 2011).  They are timeless.  Dean and Brando have been put side-by-side for decades.  The two both auditioned for the same role in “Rebel Without a Cause” and it is said that Dean looked up to Brando (Staff, 2016;  Hiebert, 2011).  Furthermore, both have had pictures taken of them wearing Converse sneakers (Fisher, 2014; Shuck, 2014).

     The New York “walk” will allow people to “walk in the steps” of Marlon Brando and will start in Washington Square Park.  Washington Square Park is home to the Washington Square Arch, a major tourist destination, and is very close to New York University’s campus.  The first plaque will be located on the inside wall of the Arch. This is due to it being a high traffic zone; allowing thousands of people to read it and have the opportunity to follow the steps through the city. The first plaque will read:

“Walk in the steps of

MARLON BRANDO (1924-2004)

Fact: The first time Brando ever got drunk, he slept on a sidewalk in Washington Square”

(C., 2015).

People will then follow the steps [that are leading away from the plaque] towards Broadway.  The next plaque that we created will be placed on Prince Street, right off Broadway and down the street from the New York City Converse store.  The prince street location’s plaque will read:

“Walk in the steps of

MARLON BRANDO (1924-2004)

Fact: Brando was in six Broadway shows between 1944 and 1947” (Playbill, 2017).

The steps will then continue down the street a few more blocks and proceed to look like they are going into the Converse store.

     The Santa Monica “walk” will allow people to walk in the steps of James Dean and will start on the corner of the intersection of Ocean Avenue and Broadway, near one of the entrances to the Santa Monica beach.  The Santa Monica beach is a very well known spot for celebrities and Ocean Avenue is probably one of the most heavily traveled roads in the Santa Monica area.  The plaque will be located on a wall right on the corner of the intersection; a place, just like Washington Square Park, that is a major tourist destination.  Thousands of people will be able to see it and follow the steps through the city.  The first plaque will read:

“Walk in the steps of

JAMES DEAN (1931-1955)

Fact: Dean lived in Santa Monica until he was nine and returned to attend college here, before transferring to UCLA” (Wikipedia, 2017).

People will then follow the steps down Broadway, and through the 3rd Street Promenade.  The next plaque we created will be located here and will read:

“Walk in the steps of

JAMES DEAN (1931-1955)

Fact: Dean was one of the founders of his college’s (UCLA) jazz club” (Hiebert, 2011).

The steps will continue down the promenade and proceed to look like they are going into the Converse store.

     This guerrilla campaign can be transferred to and personalized for many different cities and can have any number of plaques.