Timberland is helping its customers express themselves. The company teamed up with Boston-based agency Arnold to create 10061.com, a Web site dedicated to inspiring consumer expression and celebrating community.
The creative team at Arnold was faced with the task of assisting Timberland,–a company rooted in giving back to the community–in building deeper relationships with consumers. The lightbulb came on when they found out about a project the company had recently initiated called the Boroughs Project. Under the creative direction of renowned designer Jeff Ng, the Boroughs project brings together artists representing the five boroughs of New York to each design a signature Timberland boot that reflects their passion for their community. Timberland will make a donation to an organization each artist supports.
The team decided creating a Web site to house the Boroughs project was a natural fit for bonding with customers and building an online community around the brand.
“It’s usually challenging to try and convince a client to do something that’s not completely just about product and selling. We’re fortunate to work with Timberland because they really get the fact that commerce and social responsibility and community can all work together,” said Chris Carl, one of the creative directors at Arnold who worked on the project.
The Art and Community Section features video shorts that share the artists’ inspiration and early renderings of their designs, which will be unveiled gradually on 10061.com. For instance, visitors get to know Brooklyn’s David Ellis and his philosophy–to pursue your dreams but, because he’s from Brooklyn, to protect yourself. They also learn why his charity is a high school that concentrates on art as well as science and the environment.
“The videos deliver the message that there was purpose behind what they were doing. Not only artistically did their boot have a concept in expressing their community, but there was also an element of them being involved in various organizations and the sales of the boots go towards those organizations they support. The idea was to be able to communicate that there was purpose behind what went on that boot and there was purpose behind making it in the first place,” explained Carl.
The Boroughs Project was the perfect starting point, but they wanted to further engage consumers nationwide. The site also provides visitors with the chance to express their passion for their own communities in the User Gallery. There they can upload artwork, films, written stories, photography or other forms of self-expression. The work is then put on display for other site visitors and will eventually be judged by a panel of Timberland designers and affiliates as part of the Boroughs contest. A Grand Prize winner will travel to New York for an immersion day at Timberland’s new design center, where they will collaborate in the design of their own signature boot.
“It’s always rewarding as a creative person to inspire someone to do anything. A lot of people can look at your ad and glance over it and never do a thing,” Carl said. “The ultimate thing is to have someone do something. The fact that someone sees the site and goes out and shoots something with a camera, or digs around in their sketchbook, or actually creates something new is great. As a result of what we have done, they are expressing themselves. We’re making people think.”
The site, which is being supported by outdoor advertising in several U.S. cities, also has a Showroom of new, upcoming products and a link to Timberland’s popular “Design Your Own Boot” offering. The name of the site comes from the original sku number of the authentic yellow boot.
“It was such a nice way to say what we founded this company on still lives in us today, but it has other life beyond that,” said Carl.
The User Gallery and artist section did pose some technically challenging scenarios, but nothing that Salt Lake City-based branding/graphic design firm Struck Design couldn’t handle. Struck, founded by Jason Bangerter and Ryan Goodwin, specializes in high-end interactive projects.
“They were great at making something happen that we wanted to happen or bring something to the table we didn’t think of that actually made sense. There was a really good collaboration there,” Carl said.
Looking ahead, the Web site will keep evolving. “What we loved about the Boroughs idea to begin with is we think that you can scale it and migrate it to different communities around that world that can really serve not only as sources of information for other people but as sources of inspiration for Timberland themselves,” said John Kieselhorst, another creative director who was involved with the project. He added that next year there will be an update to the artists section with a focus on other cultural capitals like New York.
“Whenever you can do anything that combines art and advertising, it is rewarding. It’s nice to be working on projects that do more than just sell something,” commented Carl. “What it actually is going to accomplish is a lot bigger than just selling some boots. The fact that we can marry those two things together in a way that does some good for our client and also does some good for everyone else out there is pretty rewarding.”
Academy Announces The Animated, Documentary and International Features Films Eligible For 97th Oscars
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced the feature films eligible for consideration in the Animated Feature Film, Documentary Feature Film and International Feature Film categories for the 97th Academy Awards®.
ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Thirty-one features are eligible for consideration in the Animated Feature Film category for the 97th Academy Awards. Some of the films have not yet had their required qualifying release and must fulfill that requirement and comply with all the category’s other qualifying rules to advance in the voting process.
To determine the five nominees, members of the Animation Branch are automatically eligible to vote in the category. Academy members outside of the Animation Branch are invited to opt in to participate and must meet a minimum viewing requirement to be eligible to vote in the category. Films submitted in the Animated Feature Film category may also qualify for Academy Awards in other categories, including Best Picture. Animated features that have been submitted in the International Feature Film category as their country’s official selection are also eligible in the category.
ELIGIBLE FOR CONSIDERATION IN THE ANIMATED FEATURE FILM CATEGORY
“Art College 1994”
“Captain Avispa”
“Chicken for Linda!”
“The Colors Within”
“The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie”
“Despicable Me 4”
“Flow”
“The Garfield Movie”
“Ghost Cat Anzu”
“The Glassworker”
“The Imaginary”
“Inside Out 2”
“Kensuke’s Kingdom”
“Kung Fu Panda 4”
“Living Large”
“Look Back”
“The Lord of the Rings: The War of the... Read More