K-Swiss Launches Global Brand Campaign Revealing Fresh Identity for Spring 2010

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., March 15 /PRNewswire/ -- California Sports Brand K-Swiss will step into a new era this Spring as it updates and solidifies its 'California cool' heritage with the launch of a new global brand.  K-Swiss aims to communicate its California roots with a playful take on the joy on both performance and lifestyle with a campaign dubbed Have an Awesome Day. As the title suggests, each element of the interactive campaign will tell visual stories of idyllic days set in California.  The campaign, which includes television spots, print and interactive elements, will break on Monday, March 15, 2010 in the U.S. with its first flight of television spots airing for a stretch of four weeks on networks including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNNews, MTV, MTV2, MTVU, Fox Sports, Comedy Central and some syndication.

"We've developed our best ever collection of performance running, training, tennis and lifestyle footwear and apparel for elite athletes and enthusiasts of world class attention to product details," said David Nichols, Executive Vice President of K-Swiss.  "We are setting out to remind people about our California roots, since 1966, and encouraging them to find the joy of life and sport; that it is not only about winning, but about the joy of the game and the moment."

K-Swiss has collaborated with renowned creative agency 72andSunny on the project to develop the campaign's overall direction and produce initial television spots, print and online digital content.  Together, the teams established a solid point of view on California sports culture: playing loose, not taking things too seriously, staying creative and going big for the love of it. The campaign was positioned mainly to celebrate the joy of sport, and depict the fun-loving California style of play and sport.

The campaign includes a combination of iconic California enthusiasts and world-class K-Swiss  athletes, all shown "playing" in their natural element. Each subject is shown warming-up, competing, winning and/or enjoying themselves in K-Swiss products including the K-Ona and Tubes running shoes, Defier DS tennis shoe, The Classic and a selection of sportstyle apparel. The following recognized names are featured in the advertisements:

K-Swiss Pro Triathletes: Chris Lieto, Luke McKenzie, Terenzo Bozzone

K-Swiss Pro Tennis Players: Bob & Mike Bryan, Sam Querrey, Vera Zvonareva

Professional Ping Pong Players: Soo Yeon Lee, Wally Green

Professional Skateboarder: Greg Lutzka

To bring the initial TV spots to life, K-Swiss partnered with Los Angeles based film director, Keith Schofield, to shoot the campaign. Schofield has filmed spots for companies including McDonald's, the Minnesota Timberwolves and most recently the highly successful viral campaign for Diesel's 30th anniversary. The still photographer on the campaign was Mike Piscitelli, who has shot editorials for publications including Dazed & Confused, Another and i-D. He has directed music videos for artists including Iggy Pop, Linkin Park and The Walkmen and also directed the SoCal Summer Campaign for MTV, earning him an Art Directors Club Award. K-Swiss and 72andSunny chose an upbeat rendition of The Ramones' California Sun as a musical accompaniment to capture the sheer playfulness of the campaign.

"K-Swiss is a California brand," said Matt Jarvis, Managing Director and Chief Strategy Officer of 72andSunny. "The idea of Have an Awesome Day comes straight from California's relationship with play and sport."

True to K-Swiss's California spirit, the campaign was shot on location in a range of quintessential locations including Venice Beach, Santa Monica Beach and Pier, Long Beach and Hollywood Boulevard.

About K-Swiss:

K-Swiss is a publicly traded company founded more than forty years ago in Van Nuys, California. K-Swiss introduced the first all-leather tennis shoe, the K-Swiss "Classic" in 1966.  Since its inception, K-Swiss has rooted itself in California Sport with an aim to be the most inspiring and innovative sports brand in the market.  Today the company offers performance and lifestyle footwear and apparel for several categories under its California Sports umbrella including Tennis Heritage, California Fit (Running, Triathlon and Fitness) and California Youth.  For more information about K-Swiss, visit www.kswiss.com.

About 72andSunny:

72andSunny drives transactions by making brands matter in culture.  The company has offices in Los Angeles and Amsterdam.  Their clients include Nike, Carls's Jr./Hardee's, Discovery Channel, 2K Sports, and HP.

SOURCE K-Swiss