ON Back to School
ON Back to School
Client
ON
Year
2025
Lifestyle footwear commercial
Lifestyle footwear commercial
The Challenge
ON, a Swiss footwear brand gaining traction in the American running and lifestyle footwear market, tasked the creatives at DICK'S Media to design an ad campaign that positioned the brand as a Back-to-school contender. The target demographic was parents purchasing for their elementary school-age children at DICK'S Sporting goods; a sector they wished to expand into with a new set of styles called the "Back to School Collection".
ON, a Swiss footwear brand gaining traction in the American running and lifestyle footwear market, tasked the creatives at DICK'S Media to design an ad campaign that positioned the brand as a Back-to-school contender. The target demographic was parents purchasing for their elementary school-age children at DICK'S Sporting goods; a sector they wished to expand into with a new set of styles called the "Back to School Collection".
Client
ON
ON
ON
ON
Industry
Footwear
Footwear
Footwear
Footwear
My Contributions
Concept Design
Concept Design
Concept Design
Concept Design
Art Direction
Art Direction
Art Direction
Art Direction
Video Post-production
Video Post-production
Video Post-production
Video Post-production
Motion Design
Motion Design
Motion Design
Motion Design
Creative Direction
The approach was called "Play ON". It was pitched as a journey through a fun-filled first day of school that would take us from happy reunion moments with friends to a school playground for showcasing the products with lots of running, playing and climbing; natural activites for the age group that would feature the style and performance that the product offered.
The approach was called "Play ON". It was pitched as a journey through a fun-filled first day of school that would take us from happy reunion moments with friends to a school playground for showcasing the products with lots of running, playing and climbing; natural activites for the age group that would feature the style and performance that the product offered.
Location
With that approach locked in and a shot plan in place, we set out looking for a location that would allow us to paint our ON-branded picture of the first day of school. We'd for sure need a large and versatile recess area with a jungle gym, but also colorful hallways and lockers for additional b-roll and stills photography. Our producers took that wish list and narrowed it down to an elementary school in Bexley, Ohio that had everything we needed.
With that approach locked in and a shot plan in place, we set out looking for a location that would allow us to paint our ON-branded picture of the first day of school. We'd for sure need a large and versatile recess area with a jungle gym, but also colorful hallways and lockers for additional b-roll and stills photography. Our producers took that wish list and narrowed it down to an elementary school in Bexley, Ohio that had everything we needed.
Casting
One challenge here was casting models that would fit the wide range of product samples, spanning Pre-K through 5th Grade shoe sizes, while still appearing on screen as a believable group of friends that would spend recess time together. We were able to strike the right balance between physical appearances and product needs with fun and energetic personalities.
One challenge here was casting models that would fit the wide range of product samples, spanning Pre-K through 5th Grade shoe sizes, while still appearing on screen as a believable group of friends that would spend recess time together. We were able to strike the right balance between physical appearances and product needs with fun and energetic personalities.
Direction
We built a detailed shot plan around various games and activities, but we also wanted to capture the kids genuinely having fun. To do this, we treated each take as another round in a game or another lap in a race, keeping the kids in play mode and not overly-conscious of the camera and team working around them. Our DP was directed to be in the action as much as possible, as if from the POV of a kid in the mix, all while keeping the shoes in the spotlight.
We built a detailed shot plan around various games and activities, but we also wanted to capture the kids genuinely having fun. To do this, we treated each take as another round in a game or another lap in a race, keeping the kids in play mode and not overly-conscious of the camera and team working around them. Our DP was directed to be in the action as much as possible, as if from the POV of a kid in the mix, all while keeping the shoes in the spotlight.
Post-production
We worked with our copywriter to develop a script that leveraged our talent's voices for an added layer of authenticity and charm. Hand-drawn graphic elements and playful stop-motion style typography animations were added for complimenting the action on screen.
We worked with our copywriter to develop a script that leveraged our talent's voices for an added layer of authenticity and charm. Hand-drawn graphic elements and playful stop-motion style typography animations were added for complimenting the action on screen.
Results
ON's back-to-school 2025 campaign was overwhelmingly successful, especially on socials where the bulk of the budget was allocated. CTR benchmarks were exceeded by 4.5x and placements in total delivered an additional 165.6k clicks than originally expected; video assets particulaly standing out with a strong 6.24% CTR. The numbers made it clear that ON gained a significant boost in awareness and sales within this particular segment at DICK'S Sporting Goods.
ON's back-to-school 2025 campaign was overwhelmingly successful, especially on socials where the bulk of the budget was allocated. CTR benchmarks were exceeded by 4.5x and placements in total delivered an additional 165.6k clicks than originally expected; video assets particulaly standing out with a strong 6.24% CTR. The numbers made it clear that ON gained a significant boost in awareness and sales within this particular segment at DICK'S Sporting Goods.
PORTFOLIO
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HOKA Back to School
HOKA Back to School
HOKA Back to School
Concept Design
Art Direction
Video Post-production
Motion Design
HOKA Back to School
HOKA Back to School
HOKA Back to School
Concept Design
Art Direction
Video Post-production
Motion Design
HOKA Back to School
HOKA Back to School
HOKA Back to School
Concept Design
Art Direction
Video Post-production
Motion Design
HOKA Back to School
HOKA Back to School
HOKA Back to School
Concept Design
Art Direction
Video Post-production
Motion Design
National Runners Month
National Runners Month
National Runners Month
Concept Design
Art Direction
Video Post-production
Motion Design
National Runners Month
National Runners Month
National Runners Month
Concept Design
Art Direction
Video Post-production
Motion Design
National Runners Month
National Runners Month
National Runners Month
Concept Design
Art Direction
Video Post-production
Motion Design
National Runners Month
National Runners Month
National Runners Month
Concept Design
Art Direction
Video Post-production
Motion Design