SOLES WITH SOULS

Short List
TitleSOLES WITH SOULS
BrandJK TYRE & INDUSTRIES
Product / ServiceSCRAP TIRE RECYCLING
CategoryB03. Corporate Reputation
EntrantCONTRACT ADVERTISING INDIA Gurgaon, INDIA
Entrant Company:CONTRACT ADVERTISING INDIA Gurgaon, INDIA
PR/Advertising Agency:CONTRACT ADVERTISING INDIA Gurgaon, INDIA

Credits

Name Company Position
Ravi Deshpande Contract Advertising (India) Pvt. Ltd. Chief Creative Officer
Nima Namchu Contract Advertising (India) Pvt. Ltd. Executive Creative Director
Sachin Talwalkar Contract Advertising (India) Pvt. Ltd. Vice President Creative
Uddalak Gupta Contract Advertising (India) Pvt. Ltd. Vice President Creative
Nitesh Sah/Sindhu M.S. Contract Advertising (India) Pvt. Ltd. Art Director
Sindhu M.S./Nitesh Sah Contract Advertising (India) Pvt. Ltd. Copy Writer
Archana Ravi Contract Advertising (India) Pvt. Ltd. Copy Supervisor
Kuntal Sen Contract Advertising (India) Pvt. Ltd. Account Supervisor
Dr. R P Singhania JK Tyre & Industries Ltd. Vice Chairman & Managing Director
Amit Wadhwa/Parikshit Oberoi Accelerated Ideas Event Manager
Harry Bal ESP Films Director
Piyush Gupta Jazz Production Photographer

The Campaign

In India, scrap tyres - a little known environmental threat - is becoming graver by the day, thanks to a booming automobile industry. JK Tyre & Industries sought a solution with a degree of difference, not another worn-out appeal for recycling. So we decided to make recycling appealing to everyone. The idea was to convert what was unwanted to the most desired. Tyres, till now abandoned, were to become lifestyle products. We saw the youth of the country as our partners and spokespersons. Hundred promising students of the Footwear Design & Development Institute, the future designers of the country, were selected to participate in a week-long workshop. Months of hard work turned discarded tyres into hi-fashion footwear and accessories. On April 19, Soles with Souls, a one-of-its-kind Fashion Show & Press Event, unfolded in New Delhi. The response was tremendous. 60,000 Facebook post views in three day. Media coverage worth Rs. 30,000,000. A reassuring 4,000 email enquiries. There’s more on the cards. JK Tyre will be retailing scrap tyre merchandise. The government has announced a 30-40% subsidy on footwear made of recycled tyres. Making footwear of scrap tyres will soon be on the curriculum of FDDI.

The Brief

The objective was to go further than just bring the problem of scrap tyres to everyone’s notice. We wanted change that lasts. Recycling being the obvious answer, we wanted to go a step ahead. And make recycling appealing to everyone, especially the youth of the country.

Results

Within three days of the event the Facebok page of Soles with Souls had more than 60,000 views. People were flocking to Youtube, Twitter and blogs to give momentum to the cause. The event was reported in 24 reputed dailies and 5 leading news channels fetching media coverage worth Rs. 30,000,000/-. JK Tyre received more than 4,000 appreciative mails. The company organised exhibitions and auctions and will be retailing scrap tyre merchandise. Scrap tyre collection stations are being opened throughout the country. The government has announced a 30-40% subsidy on footwear made out of recycled tyres. Moreover, making footwear out of scrap tyres will soon be on the curriculum of FDDI.

Execution

We teamed up with the Footwear Design & Development Institute of India (FDDI), Asia's leading footwear college. 100 promising students, the future designers of the country, were selected to participate in a week-long workshop. Under the guidance of six footwear designers, the students learnt to use scrap tyres as raw material for their footwear. Months of hard work turned scrap tyres into high-fashion footwear and accessories. On 19th of April, Soles with Souls, a one-of-its-kind Fashion Show & Press Event, unfolded in New Delhi, the Capital of India. The event was telecasted live on leading TV channels.

The Situation

In India, the number of scrap tyres is rising exponentially. These cast-away tyres leave incurable scars on the environment. But the issue has never been brought to the forefront. In a country which has 36 tyre manufacturers, there are only 15-25 tyre recyclers - none of them full-fledged. In the absence of scrap tyre dump stations, people either burn discarded tyres or dispose them off in rivers and backyards, that turn into breeding grounds for diseases. No organisation in India has ever voiced this issue.

The Strategy

Recycling scrap tyres had to be appealing. So discarded tyres were to become couture footwear and accessories. And who would partner us in this project? Well, not famed fashion houses and designers. But the youth of the country.