Our Mission

Launch a new line of cowboy boots to people about 20 years outside of Justin Boots’ core demographic.

The Goal

Justin always has two goals:

• Sell more boots.
• Support retailers so they can sell more boots. (One way we track this is by the use of the Dealer Locator on JustinBoots.com.)

For this launch, we had to start by getting on the radar of younger consumers.

The Challenge

The Justin Bent Rail Collection was designed for younger, fashion forward Western and non-Western consumers, so we knew that traditional go-to-marketing efforts, like Western niche magazines and rodeo promotions, weren’t going to do the trick.

Our Strategy

Instead of broadcasting our sales message, we decided to broadcast something much more attractive – behind-the-scenes videos shot by alternative country artists.

We created a real-time video player on JustinBentRail.com and gave bands like Wade Bowen, Randy Rogers and Casey Donahew special cell phones so they could upload video directly to the player. Fans could also watch live interviews and chat in real time on the player. We also served up ads through the player and embedded links to the product on JustinBoots.com. Best of all, the Bent Rail Player is a widget that can be embedded anywhere on the Internet.

The Tactics

• Justin Bent Rail Player (at JustinBentRail.com, within JustinBoots.com)
• Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Blip.fm
• Point-of-sale posters at Western retailers
• Koozie with try-on offer and gift-with purchase CDs
• Text-to-win promotions at concerts
• Email opt-in campaign, downloadable desktops
• Logo, hang tag, award-winning packaging design

The Launch Results – September, October, November

• 20,671 Bent Rail Players embedded across the Internet averaging 3,000 - 4,000 views a day
• 115% increase in visits to JustinBoots.com
• 213% increase in use of the Dealer Locator
• Boot sales hit 30% over plan