- Kamau High

NEW YORK What do Hunter S. Thompson, Sid Vicious and James Dean all have in common? Besides being dead, they're all front and center in a new print campaign from Converse by independent Anomaly here.

The global campaign, which launched this week, is part of Converse's yearlong centennial celebration, which began with the brand's "Disruption" campaign late last year.

In one new print ad, Thompson, Vicious and Dean, among others, face the camera in a straight line, giving the illusion that they share the same shoe.

There is one template for the print ad, dubbed "Connectivity," although country-specific personalities will be incorporated into it. (The U.K. version features Ian Curtis, former lead singer of Joy Division, while readers in Germany will see singer Nina Hagen. Cui Jian, known as the "father of Chinese rock,"  is featured in Chinese iterations.)

"The linking of icons -- in fashion, sport, art and music -- represents not only the democracy of the brand, but also an acknowledgment that, whatever field you are in, striving to be original and choosing to be different is the toughest thing to do and it's the spirit that connects them all," said Mike Byrne, ecd, Anomaly.

The effort is unusual for its celebration of individuals not normally associated with mainstream endorsements. Gonzo journalist Thompson, for example, in addition to being notorious for his copious consumption of narcotics, committed suicide in 2005. Similarly, Sid Vicious died of a heroin overdose in 1979.

"The ad is a showcase of true originals since the brand's inception in 1908. It's a collection of unique individuals who have all chosen us over the years," said Geoff Cottrill, CMO of Converse, a subsidiary of Nike. "The ad is about the spirit of the optimistic rebel; people who have all disrupted the status quo."