The Objective
Celebrating Pride Month online
Sperry is known for its iconic boat shoes, known as “top-siders,” and has delighted consumers with classic shoewear for over 80 years; Sperry is a widely recognized brand that focuses on comfort, style, and adventure.
Sperry has enhanced its digital marketing mix to include influencer marketing campaigns driven by an inclusive cohort of creators through its "Make Waves" program.
Sperry partnered with PFLAG National during Pride Month to launch an influencer marketing campaign that prioritized allyship and support of the LGBTQ+ community; PFLAG National is the nation’s first and largest organization dedicated to supporting, educating, and advocating for LGBTQ+ people and those who love them.
The Solution
A collaborative influencer marketing campaign
This campaign, which was a collaborative effort between Sperry and PFLAG National, needed buy-in from both parties. Shareholders from both sides worked together to agree on all elements — the final creative brief, the influencer selection, and all drafted content, which included proposed imagery and verbiage. With these pieces in mind, Sperry knew that it would need to adjust its timeline to accommodate each review cycle.
Sourcing creators with Later
One key component of this collaboration was the creator-sourcing process. Both Sperry and PFLAG National understood that LGBTQ+ consumers and allies would be both the primary audience as well as the ideal creator persona. They wanted to partner with an intentionally diverse group of Gen Z and Millennial creators who had a penchant for bright, colorful, and thoughtful content.
While not a requirement, the brands also hoped to work with creators who would feature coastal geography and had previous awareness or personal involvement with PFLAG.
To accomplish this bespoke mission, Sperry and PFLAG National worked with Later to carefully source a group of micro-influencers for their campaign, partnering with them to produce TikTok and Instagram content. Each creator was compensated with a competitive cash payment.
The campaign strategy
Once Sperry and PFLAG National finalized a group of creators, they briefed them on their task: to produce content for TikTok and Instagram that celebrated Pride Month while driving PFLAG awareness. While the secondary objective was to promote Sperry’s Pride collection, the primary focus was the partnership between Sperry and PFLAG National.
Creators were asked to tag @Sperry and @PFLAG and include the hashtags #SperryPride, #SperryStyle, #MakeWaves, and #ad to help Sperry and PFLAG track campaign progress while adhering to FTC regulations.
To get the most out of creator content, Sperry and PFLAG National also worked with Later to execute a paid media strategy that repurposed influencer content on Sperry’s channels.
The Results
Spreading joy during Pride
44
Total Pieces of Content
391K
Total Impressions
19.8K
Total Engagements
5.1%
Average Engagement Rate
Clear expectations, ample resources, a flexible timeline, robust creator sourcing, and a creative environment helped Sperry and PFLAG’s influencer marketing campaign reach a wide audience on TikTok and Instagram.
A total of 10 creators produced a combined 44 pieces of content. That content drove 391,000 impressions and 19,800 engagements, with an average engagement rate of 5.1%