Kind regards and Public Eye: In search of the Fair Jordan

The starting point is very simple: no matter which shoe you wear, it is manufactured under conditions that you would prefer not to acknowledge. Poor wages, inadequate occupational safety and damage to health are part of the everyday lives of millions of workers. This problem affects all shoes - whether sneakers, high heels or Birkenstocks. And regardless of whether it's a cheap product, a luxury brand, "made in Italy" or "made in China": the supply chains of shoes are so complex that at least parts of them have almost always been produced under questionable conditions. "The production conditions of the majority of shoes currently on sale are completely non-transparent, and there is a lot of evidence of poor working conditions and human rights violations in production," says Susanne Rudolf of Public Eye.

Bringing light into the dark

The organization, which until a year ago was still called "Berne Declaration," already reported last year on the questionable results of its research on shoe production. Nevertheless, the companies responsible rarely have to justify themselves, because most people - in contrast to the more frequently discussed textile industry - know nothing about the inglorious origins of their beloved shoes.

This is now to change. Public Eye is once again counting on the help of the young Zurich agency Freundliche Grüsse, which has already caused an international sensation with the return of polluted air from Africa to Switzerland and won several awards for the "Dirty Diesel" campaign.

Shoe Configurator Plus

The centerpiece of the new campaign: "The Shoe Creator. A shoe configurator that allows enthusiasts to design their dream shoe to their heart's content. This is an option that numerous well-known brands now offer as a standard feature on their online sites.

With one difference: In addition to common factors such as shape, style, material or color, the "Shoe Creator" can also determine production conditions. This turns an Air Jordan into a Fair Jordan and a Converse into a Confair. Along the way, the user learns what's going wrong - and what the reality looks like far from the selected fair options. In the end, the conclusion is: No matter what you choose, the problem cannot be solved with buying at the moment.

"There is therefore no recommendation to buy" says Samuel Textor, Creative Director and Partner at Freundliche Grüsse, "at this stage it's purely about raising awareness of the problem." The best way to counteract the deplorable state of affairs, he says, is to take care of one's own shoes by caring for them, thus delaying the next new purchase for as long as possible.

In the end, a winner is drawn from the designs received from the users - and produced as fairly as possible. So you can't buy the fair shoe, but you can at least win a unique one.

Sneaker freaks in sight

The campaign is designed to appeal to all consumers. The configurator offers shoe models of various types and styles. However, one target group in particular is being targeted. "We offer everyone an option to build their own shoe. As a communicative and visual hook, however, we are focusing on the shoe fetishist, the sneaker freak," says Textor.

It's about the target group that doesn't primarily buy a pair of shoes because they need new shoes, but to collect them, to own them, to love them. And therefore strikes particularly often and eagerly. "Susanne Rudolf from Public Eye is convinced that "if we succeed in sensitizing just parts of this group and persuading them to adopt a more sustainable approach to shoes, we will have already achieved a great deal.

Musician and neo-advertiser Grégoire Vuilleumier - better known to the public as Greis - is therefore undoubtedly part of the target group. The sneaker freak has been working for Freundliche Grüsse as a copywriter since October 2016 and is responsible for the idea and concept of the campaign.

Would he feel addressed by the campaign? "Unlike the textile industry, I never wondered what it was like with shoes," he admits. It was only through Public Eye that he became aware of the problem, he says. "I've noticed that my shoe consumption, which is nevertheless very high, has decreased noticeably since the campaign has been running," Vuilleumier says. "In addition, I'm paying more attention to older pairs that I would have thrown away before, and I'm trying to maintain them through gentle renovation."

On the subject: Interview with Grégoire Vuilleumier

Intersection as core target group

The advertising musician is confident that the campaign can also bring about a change in thinking among others. "Fortunately, we are not starting from scratch. Sustainability or fair working conditions are already an issue with clothes. If we had to kick that door down first, it would be much harder," he says. Rather, he says, there is an existing intersection of fashion fans who are also interested in sustainability, or at least open to the topic. "That's the core target group, a lot is possible there," the 39-year-old is convinced.

Susanne Rudolf also confirms this assessment: "Initial evaluations of the 'Shoe Creator' showed that a great many people are taking part who had not known us before, and that they are very interested in the subject." Additional in-depth information is in demand and will be ordered.

Tour de Force

Back to the competition, back to the winning shoe, which will be selected from the thousands of designs already received and turned into reality. Here, too, Vuilleumier plays a key role: he will accompany the individual production steps on site. A documentary on the production of the shoe will round off the campaign. "We don't yet know exactly how and where we will produce the shoe," he says. As with every step of the campaign, they are facing a challenge, a "tour de force," as he says.

Especially when it comes to mastering complex challenges, he appreciates the strengths of a team, like the one he first got to know in his day-to-day work at Freundliche Grüsse. "As a musician, I'm an executive producer and have to solve every problem myself," says Vuilleumier. "Here, on the other hand, I'm not alone. The entire team - consulting and creative - grapples with the problem and works with all available intelligences to find a solution. By 'ping-ponging' with others in this way, you end up getting much further than if you were producing something on your own."

So the chances of the fair shoe becoming a reality after all are good. And perhaps Public Eye's awareness campaign will help to ensure that the exclusive one-off shoe will not be the only one made in the future.

Thomas Häusermann

This article already appeared in Werbewoche 9/2017, May 19, 2017. Nothing more to miss? Unsubscribe.