These aren’t your dad’s shoes. That parallel to “this isn’t your father’s Oldsmobile” underscores the strategic underpinning of the new campaign for Florsheim Shoes out of Laughlin/Constable, Chicago and Milwaukee.
A lingering brand perception for some consumers associates Florsheim Shoes with wool suits and boardrooms. This :30, however, through a deft slice-of-life approach, puts the shoes in a hip, younger, more playful setting–the playfulness coming from the relationship between a young “everyman” and his uber-dog, a Border Collie with great taste in footwear.
We open on the guy seated on his bed, putting his socks on. He asks his dog, “Hey, do me a favor. Go into the closet, look up on the second shelf, on the right side near the back wall, and bring me my new Florsheim loafers.”
The dog whisks off to do his duty. But there’s one catch. The owner commands, “The brown ones.” Suddenly we see the world through the dog’s eyes–in black and white. He looks back and forth at two pairs of loafers and can’t determine which is brown. The dog then takes its best guess and grabs a pair.
We return to a full-color world in which the guy, upon receiving the shoes from man’s best friend, mildly admonishes, “Not the black ones–the brown ones. What are you, colorblind?”
Indeed, that diagnosis is correct. Through the dog’s vision, we see his master in glorious black and white, as an end tag carries the Florsheim logo.
Mike Wang of V12, Santa Monica, was the director. Jen Locero executive produced, with Robin Wyman Dill serving as producer. The spot was shot on location in Vancouver, B.C., by DP Damian Acevedo.
The agency creative team consisted of executive creative director John Constable, creative director/copywriter Kirk Ruhnke, art director John Kirchen and executive producer/producer Phil Smith.
Editor was Tom Pastorelle of Cutters, Chicago. Assistant editor was Christine Gilliland. Tim Stipan and Brian Higgins of Sol Design fx, Chicago, were colorist and online editor, respectively. Audio post engineer was Ben Keller of Another Country, Chicago. The music track was licensed from Killer Music, Hollywood. Principal actor was Justin Mader.