Converse: CONVERSE HIGHWAYS [video]

Credits & Description:

Advertiser: CONVERSE
Agency: LA COMUNIDAD
Category: Best Use of Special Events and Stunt/Live Advertising
Advertising campaign: CONVERSE HIGHWAYS
Account Director: Jose Antonio Hernandez (La Comunidad)
Vice President Of Production: Laurie Malaga (La Comunidad)
Account Executive: Ozzy Uzcategui (La Comunidad)
Project Manager: Latoya Stirrup (La Comunidad)
Creative Director: Leo Prat (La Comunidad)
Production Coordinator: Marco Arguello (La Comunidad)
Creative Director: Ricky Vior (La Comunidad)
Copywriter: Leo Prat (La Comunidad)
Copywriter: Ricky Vior (La Comunidad)
Chief Executive Officer: Joaquin Molla (La Comunidad)
Chief Executive Officer: Jose Molla (La Comunidad)
Senior Producer: Julio Rangel (La Comunidad)
Art Director: Sergio Sharek (La Comunidad)
Execution
The media team understood that the nature of the brand and the target needed mediums that would allow the campaign to be an invitation more than a brand monologue. The final objective was to find more meaningful ways of making our target feel like part of the brand and in turn, bring to life the belief that unleashing the creative spirit will change the world. We used the power of color to recover forgotten spaces, strengthen communities and unleash local creativity. We transformed these forgotten and abandoned areas, and gave them back to local artists so they could express themselves through music, art and a sense of community. These areas became living, breathing spaces where bands could perform, skaters could practice, artists could unleash their creativity and neighbors could connect.
Strategy
The main objective was to make the launch of the Converse Colors collection meaningful for Latin American youths and a true representation for what Converse stands for around the world: unleashing the creative spirit is a great force for change.The challenge was to find other dimensions of colors that Converse could own in Latin America beyond the visual aspect. What defines the target is an attitude more than demographics. Converse is an expression of that attitude. For Converse, an urban brand with an urban target, it made sense to make something that would connect them to the street and make it a better place to hang out. “Highways” gave us the opportunity to reinforce our purpose while connecting the people Converse celebrates. The spaces under highways became an invitation to leave a positive insight on the city instead of adding more clutter with regular out of home ads.
Effectiveness
This project rebuilt the worst places of big cities: The abandoned spaces under freeways. It returned those spaces to the people and transformed them into venues for concerts, art galleries, theaters and skate parks. We believe that the result of this project is measured by its daily growth. It is difficult to quantify because it was not designed for sales or profit purposes.More than 10 months after the installation of these new spaces, they remain intact as the first day, but now are being taken care of by the community, artists and skaters that frequent the area.Silvio Estrella