“Foot health is at the heart of everything we do at BIRKENSTOCK,” said Oliver Reichert, CEO of the BIRKENSTOCK Group. “This campaign has been developed to inform consumers about the marvels of the foot. The evolution of mankind is deeply grounded on the development of our feet. Without an upright walk, the human species would not have survived.”
The purpose-driven campaign highlights shoemaker Konrad Birkenstock’s efforts to educate his peers in Germany and parts of Europe in the 1920s about diseases of the foot related to wrong footwear and the means to alleviate them. This was something that was then later continued by his son Carl and his grandson Karl Birkenstock.
“It is all the more surprising how little research has been done on the human foot,” continued Reichert.
“With our campaign, we want to stage the human foot – and address the role of proper footwear for our health. Most people are born with healthy feet and develop painful foot issues because the shoes we’re wearing are often too small, too narrow, or have heels that are too high. We want to draw attention to this and enable consumers to make better-informed decisions – no matter which footwear brand they ultimately choose.”
The first episode of the paid campaign, which has already been released on nytimes.com and BIRKENSTOCK.com, uncovers the role feet play in evolution. It includes interviews with scientists Carol Ward, professor of paleontology at the University of Missouri, and Benno M. Nigg, professor of biomechanics at the University of Calgary.
Episode two is expected to discuss the future of foot health through the lens of BIRKENSTOCK’s heritage in orthopedics and will be published on August 11, 2022.
The last episode of the series will launch on September 21, 2022.
The “Ugly For A Reason” campaign will be supported by a media activation initiative, making the foot visible in every corner of The New York Times, including a launch takeover in print and online.
