Not just for walking.

The Soho Sneaker Campaign

Coach’s cache with Gen Z customers on the hunt for a handbag has been steadily climbing—but where was the next opportunity for the brand? Leveraging our association with high-quality leather and a heritage of craftsmanship, footwear felt like the natural next category where we could build equity, specifically in a style that almost everyone has in their closet: the white sneaker.

For the launch of our new marquee style, the Soho Sneaker, we wanted to highlight both the versatility of the shoe (it’s an everyday style that goes with just about anything) while still leaning into our USP as a brand that believes in the power of self-expression (these aren’t like other white sneakers—they’re for being yourself in.)

With our tagline, “Not just for walking,” we positioned the new style as a blank canvas for self-expression—capable to moving you from point A to B, but also a companion for whatever unexpected direction your day may take. We heightened this conceit with a hero film that departs slightly from Coach’s usual, purpose-led tone into something more tongue-in-cheek, creating a hero film as well as talent-specific cutdowns featuring a cast of up-and-comers from the worlds of sport, music and fashion (the figures Gen Z look to most often when considering a sneaker purchase).

About a month after the launch of the main campaign, we were able to film an additional piece of content with Coach ambassador and all around good sport Charles Melton. Operating under the same concept and tagline, Melton worked with director Alma Har’el to create a short spot where he plays a version of himself: an actor preparing for a role who goes a little too Method and uses his sneakers as a decoy to evade a paparazzo.

While this additional film was more of a closed collaborative process between actor and director, it was up to me give context to the assets on site and social, which involved a delicate interplay of storytelling, sneaker selling, and, well, thirst.

Copy Lead: Jon Roth

Creative Agency: Marcel