Boomtown’s new campaign for Maxeco celebrates 30 years, and 10 million pairs, of iconic safety footwear. The campaign was conceived and created by Boomtown’s team of Jesse Sharkie, Anthony Heim and Michael Coetze, with a creative strategy developed by Ahmed Tilly. It is currently running in select print titles as well as in the digital space.
Maxeco’s owner, Lemaitre, is a pioneer of South Africa’s safety footwear industry. ‘Maxeco has gone on to become South Africa’s number one selling safety footwear brand. Across construction sites, mines, farms and factories, almost 10 million pairs have helped realise the dream of a stronger South Africa by protecting the millions of workers who built it. That’s no small feat,’ said Boomtown’s CEO, Glen Meier.
‘I have a great respect for brands that produce great products. Lemaitre is no different. The task was for Boomtown’s team to find a strategic approach that is differentiated, unapologetic and true to the brand. And so ‘The most beautiful shoe in the world’ was born,’ said Tilly, who is consulting to the agency.
According to Meier, the campaign highlights the impact that the iconic Maxeco range has had on South Africa by posing a provocative question and delivering a rather unusual but inspiring answer.
‘The campaign asks the question ‘Is Maxeco the most beautiful shoe in the country?’ To look at it, the answer is obviously ‘no’, because safety footwear and style don’t often go hand in hand. However, given Maxeco’s pioneering spirit, there’s more to it than meets the eye,’ Meier explained. ‘Maxeco is not beautiful in the conventional sense, but it is beautiful because of what it has helped accomplish. No other boot has done more to build our new nation, and that’s a beautiful thing.’
