Title	THE FIRST SHOE MADE FROM RECYCLED GUM
Brand	AMSTERDAM METROPOLITAN AREA / I AMSTERDAM
Product/Service	GUMSHOE
Category	E01. Use of Integrated Media
Entrant	PUBLICIS Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS
Idea Creation	PUBLICIS Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS

Name	Company	Position
Jonathan van Loon	Publicis Amsterdam	Art Director
Daniel Ashkol	Publicis Amsterdam	Copywriter
Mischa Schreuder	Publicis Amsterdam	Creative Director
Ramon Stalenhoef	Publicis Amsterdam	Creative Director
Dave Fransen	Publicis Amsterdam	Designer / Photographer
Manon van Otegem	Publicis Amsterdam	Account Director
Garezi Septara & Shaquille Gunther	Explicit Wear	Shoe designers
Pieter Wolter	Good Sounds	Music & Sound Supervisor
Jurriaan Balhuizen	Good Sounds	Composer

Why is this work relevant for Media?

Gumshoe is all about creating awareness about the gum litter problem in a very unique and attracting way. That’s why we launched a small amount of Gumshoes. Which functioned as a tangible product for websites and traditional news outlets to start the conversation about the gum litter problem. Online people were presented with a short video of how the Gumshoe was made. To make change in a behaviour way we hung up special bins in which people could dispose their gum. By sharing a picture with #Gumshoe they had the chance to win a pair of their own.

Background

One of the main brand values of Amsterdam is to keep the city beautiful and clean. So locals and visitors of Amsterdam can experience the city at its best. Together with cigarette butts, gum litter is one of the most urgent environmental issues the city is having. Not just Amsterdam, but other major cities as well. We wanted to create awareness about this gum litter problem. Besides the fact it improves daily life and is better for the environment, it will also add value to the city’s image on an international scale. For example, Amsterdam’s tourism or international events. Eventually this adds up to the city’s image and will hopefully result in a virtuous circle on a global level.

Describe the creative idea/insights

We discovered gum is made from a synthetic rubber. What makes it a suitable material to manufacture new products. So, we collected gum from all over Amsterdam and turned this useless waste into something useful. We created a product people actually want from something no one cares about: The first sneaker ever made from chewing gum. Bubble gum pink, with the map of Amsterdam imprinted in the sole.

Describe the strategy

We asked ourselves: How do you reach Dutch youngsters (15-30) who are not responsive to a traditional billboard campaign or a cliché TV ad? The answer was to create something they already love: sneakers. Instead of pointing our finger we served them with a sustainable product that they can wear and even show off to their friends. This way our target audience was reached in a much more effective way. By combining their interest with the problem and presenting a visually pleasing and very shareable item, we let the mouth-to-mouth communication, PR and social media do the rest. By placing specially designed recycling bins (made from recycled gum) we showed people a proper way to dispose their gum. People could win a pair of their own by sharing it with #Gumshoe. In this way a significant lesser amount of gum landed on the streets.

Describe the execution

The first step was to seed Gumshoe on a local level: Amsterdam-based media. We gave Metro Amsterdam the scoop and quickly other local media covered the news. Local politicians and stakeholders soon followed. The second step was to leverage this local news and contact national media. We’ve contacted the biggest newspapers and broadcasters, and distributed a press release to become more visible on a national scale. This generated an enormous buzz on social media and online, which gave us a platform to seed in on a global level. With success. From the Netherlands to Brazil and from China to the US people heard about Gumshoe. Renowned websites even shared case movies made from the existing footage. Within the first days our website got flooded with pre-orders. Together with street artists we placed recycling bins for people to dispose their gum in. And win a pair of their own.

List the results

Within a week the website got flooded with pre-orders and we reached over 600.000.000 unique persons with our message. From Germany to Ukraine and from China to the US people heard about Gumshoe. The Gumshoes were sold within a week. Sportlife, the largest chewing gum producer in the Netherlands, will partner with us and finance upcoming campaigns against gum litter and we have just signed with Asics to produce Gumshoes around the world. Starting with New York, London and Tokyo. With this initiative, we didn’t just try to solve the problem, but also make people think about the fact how to treat their city and environment with respect.