SOREL Challenges Women To Get Their Boots Dirty

SOREL, a brand owned by Columbia Sportswear, is featuring “fiercely independent, creative and inspiring women who are living out their passions” in its new Get Your Boots Dirty ad campaign from Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners.

Kimberly Barta, SOREL’s senior global brand director, said, “Women tell us they feel a sense of fearlessness and strength when they put on boots.”

“SORELs don’t just look great, they work,” said Gabrielle Tigan, art director from BSSP. “So we didn’t want to use models, instead we selected real women who embody the spirit of the brand. Women of character who have substance and style.”

Women like Leila Janah, founder and CEO of Samasource, a non-profit that provides “microwork” for impoverished peoples.

It’s interesting to me how this is the celebrity endorsement model, but with no celebrity in the room. Instead, we have a real person — who happens to look great in SOREL footwear — doing real things for real people.

Context is key. With a celebrity there is no context, because we can never be them or live their lives. But ratchet up the authenticity and the boots in question remain aspirational, yet much more attainable.

There’s also a double discovery happening here and a blend of content with cause marketing. An interested shopper finds SOREL’s new styles and she learns about Janah and her work at Samasource.