Kmart: PROTEGE

Credits & Description:

Category: Best New Product Launch/Re-Launch at Retail

Advertiser: KMART

Product/Service: SPORTS FOOTWEAR

Agency: DRAFTFCB

Date of First Appearance: Mar 1 2009 12:00AM

Entrant Company: DRAFTFCB, Chicago, USA

Entry URL: http://www.protegemvp.com

Executive Vice President, Group Creative Director: Janet Barker-Evans (DraftFCB)

Executive Vice President, Group Management Director: Mat Lignel (DraftFCB)

Vice President, Creative Director: Greg Akouris (DraftFCB)

Senior Vice President, Group Executive Producer: Chris Bing (DraftFCB)

Senior Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer: Mark Snyder (Kmart)

Vice President, Integrative Marketing: Terry Brophey (Kmart)

Director, Advertising: Beverly Mason (Kmart)

Chief Marketing Officer, Footwear: Tracy Von Hoven (Kmart)

Manager, Advertising: Lana Andrews (Kmart)

Manager, Marketing Planning (Footwear): Brian Juszak (Kmart)

Vice President Director, Strategic Planning: Seth Goldberg (DraftFCB)

Associate Media Director: Jason Alexander (DraftFCB)

President, Footwear, SHC: Nick Grayston (Kmart)

Senior Copywriter: Brian King (DraftFCB)

Director Animation Director & Producer: Justin Leibow & Danielle Hazan (Superfad)

: (Euro RSCG Worldwide PR)

: (MPG)

: (iNDELIBLE)

: (Fresh Wata)

: (Eastman/PPC)

Media placement: TV - National Placement - February 2009 To June 2009

Media placement: OOH - National Placement - February 2009 To June 2009

Media placement: Poster/ Print - National Placement - February 2009 To June 2009

Media placement: Madiston Square Garden Tower Banner - New York - Madison Square Garden - February 2009 To June 2009

Media placement: Online - Banners And Microsite - February 2009 To June 2009

Media placement: In-Game - Video Games - February 2009 To June 2009

Media placement: Mobile - WAP Banners, IVR Recordings, Ringtones - February 2009 To June 2009

Media placement: Projection Video - Phoenix - February 2009 To June 2009

Media placement: Cinema - National Placement - February 2009 To June 2009



Describe the objective of the promotion.

Working with New York Knicks player, Al Harrington, Kmart launched Protege, a new line of athletic footwear and apparel complete with edgy, confident styling.

The big difference in this shoe, unlike previous affordable celebrity shoe brands, is that Protege actually offered 'court ready' high quality construction, so kids across America could actually PLAY in the shoes.

Our objective was to reach kids and let them know that they didn’t have to wait to be able to afford a court-ready shoe to play ball, with Protege they could ‘get in the game now’ with a performance shoe at a great price.



Describe how the promotion developed from concept to implementation

Because Kmart is not a destination our teens considered when buying basketball shoes, we needed to convince them that there is a shoe made for them, at an affordable price.

Bringing credibility to the brand is NY Knick’s Al Harrington. Harrington’s vision that it doesn’t take money to play the game; it takes shoes lived across all media.

Through messaging that spoke to the product features, we focused on product attributes with the price point being secondary. We had to convince our target that due to the craftsmanship of the shoe, it was built to ball at an affordable price.



Describe the success of the promotion with both client and consumer including some quantifiable results



The programme 'slam dunked' expectations. In the first 5 weeks, footwear sales exceeded plan by 60% and Protege apparel exceeded plan by 30%. Online sales were so strong, the campaign was extended two months beyond the launch to keep momentum building into the summer months. Thousands of wallpapers and 10K+ ringtones were downloaded as part of the mobile campaign, truly integrating the Protege brand into the daily lives of the target.



Explain why the method of promotion was most relevant to the product or service

A main hub of the promotion was the online microsite - protegemvp.com. Consumers could become part of the community and share their court tips online. They could browse Protege footwear and apparel and link to Kmart.com.

This microsite was promoted in various media including:

• OOH – 1000ft banners outside Madison Square Garden, Subway trains, Projection media in Phoenix for the NBA All Star Game weekend, Graffiti and Wallscape executions at Rucker Park in NYC
• Online – Flash Banners, Rich Media
• Mobile – WAP banners, IVR recordings
• TV/Cinema – :30 commercial
• Radio – DJ live reads