Detroit-based watch manufacturer Shinola is celebrating the American worker, hard work, and ‘making’; values they have championed from the beginning.
Since 2012, the company, which aims to hire local, has hired more than 600 people and created 200 meaningful manufacturing jobs. Their new campaign, “Let’s Roll Up Our Sleeves,” features a series of ads with inspiring messages, rallying people from across the land to work together for a greater good.
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- Shinola’s new Let’s Roll Up Our Sleeves campaign in NYC
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- Shinola’s new Let’s Roll Up Our Sleeves campaign in NYC
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- Shinola’s new Let’s Roll Up Our Sleeves campaign in NYC
DIVERGE talked to Shinola CMO, Bridget Russo, to find out more about the story behind the campaign:
Where did the idea for “Roll up your sleeves” come from?
Since our launch in 2011, Shinola’s mission and focus has been American job creation, through the manufacturing of timeless, well-designed goods.The “Roll Up Our Sleeves” campaign is less a marketing angle, but rather an articulation of a movement that celebrates the American worker, hard work and “making”; values we have championed from the beginning. With the tagline “Let’s Roll Up Our Sleeves,” the campaign features a series of ads with inspiring messages, rallying people from across the land to work together for a greater good.
In the second phase of the campaign, which hits mid-April, we’ll introduce people who we feel embody the spirit of the Roll Up Our Sleeves message. They each are making a positive impact on their community through the work they are doing. Whether it be creating jobs for the homeless in the case of Brit Gilmore from The Giving Keys, or teaching farming to individuals coming out of the criminal justice system in the case of Richard Garcia from Backyard Alma Farms.
Why is this significant?
Our founder, Tom Kartsotis, put it best when he said, “We know that companies want to do more in America and, if we want to be competitive as a nation, we need to turn that ‘want to’ into a ‘can do.’ We hope this campaign inspires others to take on the challenges of creating enterprises in our country, building factories in our communities and investing in America’s workforce. Our plan is to continue to grow and strengthen our mission by rolling up our sleeves, empowering our teams and leading by example.”
To that end, the campaign shares the stories of men and women who have rolled up their sleeves and proved that hard work creates jobs and new opportunities in our country. Shot by Perry Ogden, the campaign features:
Nadine Burke Harris, Founder and CEO of the Center for Youth Wellness, a national effort to revolutionize pediatric medicine and transform the way society responds to children exposed to adverse childhood experiences and toxic stress
Kevin Adler, Founder of Miracle Messages, a non-profit which reconnects people living on the streets with their loved ones, through short video messages and social media
Brit Gilmore, President of the The Giving Keys, an organization that provides job opportunities to people transitioning out of homelessness, impacting lives through the power of a Pay It Forward community
Richard D. Garcia, Co-founder of Alma Backyard Farms, an organization that creates multiple opportunities for women and men who were incarcerated to give back to the health and safety of communities by growing food in and for these communities.
Who is the team behind the campaign?
Creative Agency: Partners & Spade
Media Buying Agency: Media Hub
Digital Creative Extensions: PMG
Photographer: Perry Ogden
Why is it so needed at a time like this?
Shinola has a sincere interest in and devotion to creating American jobs in industries where manufacturing has left our shores. After five years, job creation is still the thing we’re most proud of. We have hired over six hundred people in Detroit and around the world, built factories, supported key suppliers to expand their existing operations and made significant progress in reinvigorating various product categories here in America.
What kind of response have you gotten from it?
The campaign is still young, but to date we have received an overwhelming positive response. It’s a message most people can relate to and get behind because we can apply it to our everyday lives. And most importantly, it’s a positive message of how people can make a difference.
The campaign has a lot of different aspects, how does it all tie in?
We feel though the campaign has layers, it all relates back to the spirit of making things happen and getting things done. It’s about going out there and doing the hard work to create positive impact. That impact can be big or small. The point is we’re rolling up our sleeves and doing it. It’s a sentiment that not only is alive and well in Detroit, but also a sentiment that captures the American spirit.
How long will this run and what do you hope to accomplish from it?
The campaign launched on March 20 with media partners such as, Forbes and Entrepreneur, while also working with partners like New York Magazine on a local level to highlight the stories of creative entrepreneurs and artisans who have launched and grown their own projects and businesses. Media will be focused within Shinola’s key markets including Detroit, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington D.C. and San Francisco around Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and other holidays later in the year. Media efforts will include outdoor, print, digital, and social.
