{"id":13899,"date":"2022-08-25T07:41:56","date_gmt":"2022-08-25T06:41:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/perceptionlive.com\/events\/?p=13899"},"modified":"2022-08-25T12:27:14","modified_gmt":"2022-08-25T11:27:14","slug":"dr-marten-becoming-an-icon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/perceptionlive.com\/events\/2022\/08\/25\/dr-marten-becoming-an-icon\/","title":{"rendered":"Dr Marten: becoming an icon…"},"content":{"rendered":"
\u201cTHE ONLY THING TOUGHER THAN A DR MARTEN BOOT IS THE PERSON WEARING IT\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/div><\/blockquote>
For the past week, I have been trying to wrap my head around what makes a brand iconic. Having looked at lists of iconic brands throughout the ages and across the world, my conclusion leads me to describe it this way\u2026<\/p>\n
Widespread adoption by a movement due to relevance to a specific cultural identity over a long period of time.<\/p>\n<\/div>[vc_custom_heading text=”…becoming an icon” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:30px|text_align:left|color:%230071bc” google_fonts=”font_family:Dosis%3A200%2C300%2Cregular%2C500%2C600%2C700%2C800|font_style:600%20bold%20regular%3A600%3Anormal”]
Innovation is usually the catalyst or the beginning of an iconic brand and the story of Dr Marten is no different.<\/p>\n
An astute businessman, Bill Griggs spotted an opportunity in a newspaper and the rest of the story is history. The Griggs family ran a successful shoe manufacturing business in Northamptonshire, England, since 1901. They built up a solid reputation for hard-wearing work boots for over 6 decades…<\/p>\n
\u2026this isn\u2019t what makes an icon though!<\/p>\n<\/div>
One day while scrolling through a post-war newspaper, Bill\u2019s attention was captured by an advert by Klaus Martens and Dr Herbert Funk.<\/p>\n
These two gentlemen had created a revolutionary sole and had called it AirWair.<\/p>\n
Klaus designed the air-cushioned sole to help him recover from a war wound. When he presented the idea to Dr Funk (the coolest name on planet earth \u2013 I imagine a disco superhero) they started production in 1947 using disused military supplies. They ran a very successful business until 1959, which is when they decided to advertise overseas. This in turn captured the attention of Bill Griggs…<\/p>\n
\u2026this also on its own didn\u2019t have the right ingredients to be an icon.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>
[vc_single_image image=”13919″ img_size=”full”]<\/div><\/div><\/section> [vc_single_image image=”13915″ img_size=”full”]<\/div>Long story short, a licencing deal was done, a new design was created and what we now know as the Dr Marten boot was born in 1960.<\/p>\n
For the first decade of its existence, the boot was considered a cheap work boot worn mainly by factory workers. That is until something revolutionary happened\u2026<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>[vc_video link=”https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=jRuL4cMVPy0&t=11s” align=”center”][vc_custom_heading text=”\u201cA DUTY TO OFFEND\u201d” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:30px|text_align:left|color:%230071bc” google_fonts=”font_family:Dosis%3A200%2C300%2Cregular%2C500%2C600%2C700%2C800|font_style:600%20bold%20regular%3A600%3Anormal”]
The 1970\u2019s in Britain was a time of change! The rock \u2018n rolla\u2019s the punks, the rebels, the non-conformists, and the anti-establishment movement were all spearheaded by individuals that wanted to stand out and be different. PUNK!<\/p>\n
The boot due to its price point and hard-wearing nature started being adopted by multi-cultural skinheads and the punk and ska music movements.<\/p>\n
\u2026but it was only from the moment that Pete Townsend laced up, that the boot started to develop iconic status.<\/p>\n
As the years go by, the boot becomes more widely adopted and Dr Martens<\/a> becomes the brand we know today.<\/p>\n<\/div>[vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”13916,13914″ img_size=”300×300″][vc_video link=”https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=QPHYeK96i-Q” align=”center”][vc_custom_heading text=”\u201cADAPT OR DIE\u201d” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:30px|text_align:left|color:%230071bc” google_fonts=”font_family:Dosis%3A200%2C300%2Cregular%2C500%2C600%2C700%2C800|font_style:600%20bold%20regular%3A600%3Anormal”]
No company can simply rely on what initially made them successful for them to last through the ages.<\/p>\n
So what is the secret to staying relevant to an ever-changing society?<\/p>\n
In Dr Martens case<\/p>\n
1980\u2019s – Trend for ladies’ customisation<\/p>\n
1990\u2019s – GRUNGE<\/p>\n
2000\u2019s – Rebuild and revitalise<\/p>\n
2010\u2019s – Marketing the history<\/p>\n<\/div>[vc_custom_heading text=”WORKING WITH AN ICON” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:30px|text_align:left|color:%230071bc” google_fonts=”font_family:Dosis%3A200%2C300%2Cregular%2C500%2C600%2C700%2C800|font_style:600%20bold%20regular%3A600%3Anormal”][vc_gallery type=”flexslider_slide” interval=”3″ images=”13924,13925,13926,13927″ img_size=”medium” onclick=””]
Our first encounter with the iconic brand (other than as consumers of their great products) was post-pandemic. They were looking for a production partner to assist them to deliver their quarterly results to the wider company. This was during a period where assembling had only recently been allowed and could be disallowed just as quickly.<\/p>\n
We met with their Director of global communication and devised a strategy to ensure the event experience would be as immersive as possible considering a large contingent of the audience would be viewing the show from their homes.<\/p>\n
Added to the 1-hour broadcast and presentation to 300 staff at Camden House<\/a>, they wanted to have a year-end party that was Covid safe.<\/p>\n
At this stage it had been at least 15 months since we were permitted to assemble so the party was a risky move. But it was one that the leadership team felt that everyone in the company wanted, and they were correct.<\/p>\n
The broadcast lasted 1 hour and the party a further 4<\/p>\n