Walking is a powerful form of therapy, with multiple health benefits – physical and mental. You could say walking has inspired the entire collection of Freeworld Australia.
However, the Freeworld brand had been left to lie dormant for some years. When viewed by an objective outsider, few of its core beliefs were clear to potential customers. It looked like just another sports shoe, when in fact its products and point of difference are entirely about wellness and restorative health.
We were engaged to overhaul the Freeworld brand identity, neatening its well-established logo and updating everything else – colours, graphics, typefaces and of course photography styles.
Working closely with the brand managers, we began with an immersion in strategy that took into account its plans to expand worldwide. From this we developed the new selling proposition, Walk Yourself Well, and a new brand voice.
Freeworld’s new brand language is empowering but not anthemic, wellness-centred and yet not scientific in tone, helping establish its appeal to a diverse market of active customers. These range from athletes recovering from injury, others suffering from foot and joint pain, and others again who spend long hours on their feet each day.
We also developed a number of other brand-affirming headlines that will drive the initial campaigns, business pitches, social media content and in-store displays.
The refreshed brand has been rolled out across point of sale materials, in-store graphics, presentation materials, ecommerce website and social media assets. The brand refresh has helped Freeworld gain increasing entry into a highly competitive overseas sports shoe market, while the new website has boosted sales significantly since launching.
“We needed an agency that could help us balance function with fashion, and deliver this message across a wide demographic. In this challenge, The Offices achieved their brief 100 per cent. We also got what I believe is the finest shoe based strapline since Nike’s “Just do It”. In creating “Walk Yourself Well,” we have a timeless call to arms that we can stretch, pull and push for many years to come. Online sales have increased some 150 per cent since we re-launched, albeit from a low base. We continue to grow our tribe and our presence online, and we are positioned very well for a retail push over the coming period.”
– Mike Todd, Brand Manager, Freeworld Australia
