Inciting curious smirks, and even causing some to blush, California Sports Company K-SWISS is pushing the envelope this season with its irreverent new TUBES training footwear ad campaign featuring Kenny Powers, the fictional character played by Danny McBride in HBO'S hit series Eastbound & Down.
The campaign will break nationally with national television spots, in-theatre spots, print media, digital/interactive campaigns and outdoor (OOH) and will lead in to the return of the critically-acclaimed series, which will debut on Sunday, September 26th.
The campaign pits Powers, a slightly delusional ex-professional baseball player who still summons personal illusions of grandeur, against renowned athletes including Jeremy Shockey of the New Orleans Saints, Patrick Willis of the San Francisco 49ers, and Urijah Faber, the MMA Fighter and WEC Champion known as The California Kid. In small acts of comic genius in which Powers demonstrates glaring bravado, each iteration of the campaign touts the shoes' virtues in an effective, but playful way.
"We wanted to deliver unfiltered straight talk about how awesome TUBES are. Who better to do that than Kenny Powers?" said David Nichols, executive vice-president of K-SWISS. "This approach is attention grabbing – progressive, creative and playful, which is our marketing mantra."
K-SWISS TUBES training collection has caught fire as one of the brand's most successful styles. The lightweight training shoe features the patented TUBES cushioning technology. Each execution of the campaign reinforces TUBES performance story; lightweight, cushioning, stability, and flexibility.
Designed in partnership with Los Angeles-based 72andSunny, the campaign will target the younger male demographic in a broad variety of media touch points. The campaign roll out includes: billboards in Times Square and Venice Beach; a campaign micro-site with exclusive content; and NYC subway posters and bi-coastal wild postings with some featuring a 1-888 number where callers can phone-in and hear an inspirational message from Powers.
Spots will also appear on ESPN and Comedy Central as well as in movie theaters nationwide. Additional touch points include a focused print media buy including ESPN Magazine, rich banners as well as Facebook Reach Block and a Facebook App called 'Workout Wingman' where Powers will take over your Facebook page while you're at the gym training.
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