Sports footwear and apparel company K-Swiss races into mobile with a new campaign that engages consumers via mobile using Microsoft Tags, a sweepstakes and extensive content. 

The irreverent multichannel campaign features a character from the HBO cable series ?Eastbound & Down,? who appoints himself CEO of K-Swiss in an effort to make the sports world more exciting. Mobile is used to complement the overall messaging and deliver content that was created specifically for the campaign.

?Pretty much every person walking around has a mobile device,? said Bryan Ogle, director of business development at K-Swiss, Westlake Village, CA. ?It is an accepted medium of communication that consumers are becoming more aware of.? 

?Mobile is not ancillary but rather complementary to the overall messaging strategies employed during this campaign,? he said.

?Significant visual content was created for this campaign and mobile aids the brand in delivering the content to the consumer.?

Scannable sweepstakes
The campaign launches on July 13 to promote the K-Swiss? Tubes training footwear brand, as well as the debut of "Eastbound & Down" Season 2 on DVD on August 2.

The goal is to connect K-Swiss customers with the product in a meaningful and entertaining way. The target audience is young males who are interested in athletics.

Agency 72andSunny worked with K-Swiss to develop the campaign.

The campaign centers on the idea that ?Eastbound & Down? character Kenny Powers, who is played by Danny McBride, has enlisted various professional athletes to hold key positions within the company, including chief marketing officer, vice president of carnage, and director of community outreach.

The digital campaign will include a mobile tagging sweepstakes powered by Microsoft Tags.

Consumers who scan the tags with their mobile device will be able to enter the sweepstakes and access a variety of multimedia content, including a Kenny Powers ringtone, soundboard and a digital shoe tour of Tubes.

?The goal primarily is in connecting the consumer, brand, retailers in a portable environment wherein the ability to share a message is not limited by a point in time,? Mr. Ogle said. ?This goes with the consumer.?

The sweepstakes will award three grand prize packages of K-Swiss gear for a year.

It will be available exclusively at Foot Locker stores from July 15 to August 15.

K-Swiss has put together a 15-second TV spot and print ads to support the sweepstakes. 

There will also be print media elements as well as in-store displays at more than 500 Foot Locker stores where Tubes are sold. The campaign launches with a 90-second TV spot during ESPN?s ESPY awards.

K-Swiss has been exploring the mobile space via a couple of applications, including one that features Kenny Powers helping users get exercise.

"This K-Swiss Tubes campaign is the biggest for K-Swiss in 2011 and it is the first foray for K-Swiss using the Microsoft Tag program," said Matt Rohmer, brand director at 72andSunny. "With the growth of mobile use in today?s marketplace 72andSunny and K-Swiss has made mobile marketing a priority in all strategic planning for each K-Swiss campaign."

Final Take
Chantal Tode, Assoc. Editor, Mobile Marketer