Shinola

Let’s Roll Up Our Sleeves
Born in the heart of Detroit, Shinola was not only known for their quality watches and leather goods but for actively contributing to their local community and creating American manufacturing jobs. Built from scratch and finding success through grit and hard work, Shinola’s brand story aligned with the story of Detroit; creating a shared sense of pride that deserved more awareness and recognition than it was getting.
Services
35,902
Total local video views
206
In-person mural signatures
11%
Lift in local brand demand
Challenge
Shinola wanted to reinforce their roots in Detroit which led to the creation of a brand awareness campaign that used storytelling to honor and celebrate the social change-makers from Detroit and around the nation who were making a difference in their communities. PMG served as the creative strategists who guided Shinola to develop an inspiring storytelling series that enabled an impressive lift in local brand awareness and demand.
Strategy & Approach
Shinola partnered with PMG to create local social extensions of their national brand campaign using a local crowd-sourced art installation that included community-built artwork, social video and film content, and interviews with local Detroit philanthropists. The campaign was ‘brought back home’ through the creation of a video series highlighting Detroit community leaders and entrepreneurs.
Through the compelling stories of Detroit natives, PMG reinforced Shinola’s position as a do-it-yourself brand that values the hard work and dedication of the vibrant Detroit community. The hyper-local content was created on set, from intimate interviews to time-lapses of Detroit’s bustling Eastern Market.



Results
These community-driven videos were shared on social, geo-targeting Detroiters specifically, in order to reinforce the authenticity behind the brand and foster a relationship with a local audience whose encounters with Shinola were historically product-focused. All in all, the campaign resulted in an 11% lift in local brand demand and 35,902 total video views from the Detroit demographic.
The locally-targeted content bolstered Shinola’s fan base beyond the product enthusiast, reaching a core Detroit audience who resonated with the overall campaign message to “Roll Up Our Sleeves,” together.