South African advertising agency Promise has produced this outdoor advertising campaign for Dr Martens, connecting the boot’s prints with significant social change movements of the 20th century. The removal of the Berlin Wall in 1989, Martin Luther King and civil rights marches, and Woodstock Festival, each had their impact because of feet on the ground. The agency’s thinking behind the campaign: “The latter half of the 20th century was a time of immense change, with millions across the globe making a stand against inequality, war and apathy. We may never know their names, but they were the ones doing the hard work of mass resistance to the status quo – many of them doing it in their Docs. Leveraging the Dr Martens legacy and iconic design we recreated some of these historical turning points with a boots-on-the-ground focus, producing a fitting tribute to the countless Doc wearers who stood up for what they believed in and cementing the brand’s role in shaping modern history.”
Stand for Something Credits
The Dr Martens Stand for Something campaign was developed at Promise, Johannesburg, by executive creative director Marc Watson, creative director Nic Kostouros and copywriter Grant Mark Renecle.