Thanks to SOREL you don't have to be at Sundance to experience Main Street
Every year, more and more brands vie for consumer attention among the crowded Sundance festival. The mix of celebrities, influencers and the entertainment industry is a strong draw for companies looking to get their products in the hands of these tastemakers. Brands try many tactics to lure attendees to their corner of Park City, whether it's throwing a party at a pop-up club, street teams handing out samples or VIP gifting suites. However, most of these branded experiences only extend to festival-goers and lack relevance to brand advocates not able to attend Sundance.
One brand is bucking this trend: Portland, Oregon shoemaker SOREL. Through Twitter and Facebook, the brand is giving their devoted fan base a taste of the Park City action. The brand's activations at Sundance are targeted to fans who aren't able to attend the festival feel like they're walking down Main Street. This includes updates about people rocking SORELs at the festival, #SORELchic outfits, and updates about VIP sightings.
SOREL is also actively seeking input from their fans through two new Facebook initiatives. The first is called "Decked Out and Laced Up." People submit custom messages, up to 20 characters, and SOREL makes them into lace plates at their Laser Bar. The first 50 users each day will be sent their lace plate and SOREL is even giving a free pair of boots to the top 5 submissions every day. That means 55 lucky fans will walk away with merchandise at the end of the festival.
The second initiative on Facebook highlights SOREL's partnership with the fashion website Polyvore. A digital closet, curated by The FADER style editor Alex Frank, is provided on the Facebook tab where users are urged to create a complete Sundance look. "The festival is packed with stylish trends," said Alex Frank. "SORELS are an essential piece that easily pulls the ultimate look together." The top 10 looks will win a pair of SOREL boots and $300 to help the winning fashionista make her look a reality.
Of course, SOREL is also providing a physical brand experience for festival goers in conjunction with music video website, Vevo. The VIP space housed the onsite Laser Bar where visitors could customize plates for their new boots as well as relax with a drink and get treatments provided by Fresh. "We were inspired by the positive response at last year's festival, we knew we had to come back," said Kimberly Barta, SOREL's global brand manager.
Both festival attendees and non-attendees are glad they did.
---Jeff Kwiatek
