Boots ‘Stand Strong’ in New Ads

Initio Campaign Gives Red Wing an Anthem
CHICAGO – Red Wing Shoe Co. uses an anthem to convey its core values of comfort, durability and quality in its latest national advertising campaign.
The work, from Minneapolis agency Initio, uses “real people doing real jobs” to emphasize the everyday appeal of the shoes, said Kim Wiemer, the Red Wing, Minn., company’s director of advertising.
Two of the spots, intended for dealer use, use a montage of workers doing their jobs, set to the light rock anthem “Stand Strong,” composed by Pilhofer Sound in Minneapolis.
The song “captures the pride” of the people wearing Red Wing shoes, as well as the spirit of the company, said Red Wing representative Cindy Taube.
Two brand-oriented efforts depict how people value their Red Wing shoes. In one, a man hides an old pair his wife intends to donate to charity. In the other, a retiring factory worker gives away all his prized possessions save his Red Wing shoes.
All of the spots conclude with the year-old tagline, “Work hard.”
The campaign will run this fall on national cable networks, and continue into 2000. Red Wing spent $3 million on advertising last year, according to Competitive Media Reporting.
Red Wing was founded in 1905 and sells its products through more than 4,000 retail outless. ¡