Gen Z is taking their sneakers out of the box.
For some sneakerheads, kicks are collectors items, and the value drops as soon as they touch the ground. But Foot Locker’s latest campaign is rooted in the knowledge that for some Gen Zers, sneakers are most valuable as part of an outfit.
“There’s been a real shift in mindset these last few years with Gen Z,” Kim Waldmann, SVP and global chief customer officer of Foot Locker, told Marketing Brew. “These kids are a bit worn out by the hype culture, this idea of collecting sneakers to just accumulate more stuff, and what they’re really thinking about is sneaker culture as a form of self-expression and personal style…You can experiment with different looks and different vibes through sneakers and not necessarily be overly precious about them.”
As part of Foot Locker’s ongoing efforts to connect with younger consumers and center itself in sneaker culture, the brand tapped LSU basketball star Flau’jae Johnson to lead the first installment of the new campaign, which is set to run through the spring and summer.
Stay in rotation: The campaign, called “Stay in Rotation,” was primarily designed for social platforms including Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok, Waldmann said. The first video, “Life in Rotation,” features Johnson on a spinning pedestal in three different outfits paired with three different Puma shoes: the Speedcat, Speedcat Ballet, and La France.
Puma serves as the first Foot Locker brand partner to appear in the campaign, but more brands, including Adidas, Nike, and New Balance, will follow throughout the spring, according to Waldmann. Each installment will reflect different “moments and moods” in sneaker culture, including retro sneakers, the revival of Y2K running sneakers, and skate shoes, she said.
Johnson, who has an NIL deal with Puma that includes her own sneaker, is only set to appear in this first iteration of the campaign, Waldmann said. Upcoming chapters with the other brands will feature different “influencers and talent,” she said, though she declined to share exactly who might show up.
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The Flau’jae effect: Johnson, who is 21, was “the ideal face to kick off the first iteration of our campaign,” Waldmann said, considering her star power in both basketball and music, willingness to experiment with her personal style, social media reach, and “organic connection” with Gen Z.
In addition to Johnson and others, Foot Locker “Stripers,” the brand’s name for its sales associates based on their striped uniform shirts, will be involved in the campaign, too; Waldmann said staff will create content about their personal sneaker rotations and how they help customers build their looks. Those videos will show up across Foot Locker’s owned social channels, especially on TikTok, where the brand already regularly features its Stripers, she added.
“They’re a key, iconic piece of the brand…and really tie in nicely to this idea of ‘Stay in Rotation’ at a broader brand level,” Waldmann said.
Lace up: Foot Locker waited until the unofficial start of spring—the end of March Madness—to roll out its campaign because it’s a time when many people are looking to refresh their wardrobes, Waldmann said. Last year marked the first time the brand ran “a spring style and trend campaign,” she said, and this year, it doubled down on that strategy with the goal of boosting its already fast-growing women’s business.
The campaign falls under Foot Locker’s Lace Up plan “to grow with a young, diverse audience” by tying up with sneaker culture, which rolled out in 2023 and has already led to some movement, she said. In the fall of 2023, Foot Locker ranked as the No. 9 footwear brand among all teens, according to a semi-annual Piper Sandler survey of about 6,500 US teens. It fell off that ranking in 2024, but this spring, it reappeared on the list at No. 10.
“I think that speaks to the authentic…connection that we’re having [with Gen Z],” Waldmann said. “‘Stay in Rotation’ is really about the content and the storytelling that amplifies the trend we’re already seeing in the business.”
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