DESCRIPTION

Every year in New Zealand, thousands of pairs of sneakers are no longer used, while thousands of young New Zealanders don’t have the shoes they need in order to participate in sports or other activities.

Lazy Sneakers is a charity that collects used sneakers and distributes them so young people can reach their potential. The aim of our campaign was to let people know how Lazy Sneakers can put their shoes to good use. With a limited budget, cut-through mattered. So we took to the streets with posters evoking the world’s top sneaker brands and showcasing some of their new owners.

BRIEF 

The idea for Lazy Sneakers was developed by 12-year-old Maia Mariner in 2017, when she launched a project to free up ‘lazy’ or unused sneakers and redistribute them to people who needed them. 

Lazy Sneakers wanted a campaign to generate awareness and attract donations of top brand sneakers, creating a sense of pride and self-worth with recipients. With limited budgets, cut-through mattered.

SOLUTION 

We took to the streets with high-impact posters evoking the world’s top sneaker brands and showcasing some of their new owners. Shot on film and styled like a typical sports shoe campaign, our posters featured the names and faces of local kids wearing top quality sneakers donated via Lazy Sneakers. Copy directed people to lazysneakers.co.nz where they could find out more and donate.

PLACEMENT 

A series of street posters ran in three high profile sites (with daily foot traffic of over 20,000) in Te Aro and Manners Quarter districts in Wellington, New Zealand, from April 3, 2022. 

 CULTURAL CONTEXT 

Recent statistics show that 29% of New Zealand children live in a low-income household. 12 year-old Maia Mariner realised she could help her peers participate by getting unused sports shoes to children who need them, founding charity sneaker bank Lazy Sneakers. Today, Lazy Sneakers distributes thousands of shoes a year to children, student athletes, families and social services around New Zealand.