WRANGLER LAUNCHES "BORN READY" BRAND PLATFORM

New European brand positioning across product and marketing from WE ARE Pi

September 21st 2015, Iconic American brand, Wrangler, has launched Born Ready; a new brand platform developed by Amsterdam based Ideas Company, WE ARE Pi. The platform is designed to inspire everyday adventures and introduce Wrangler’s new signature product line, the “Ready Range”.

Wrangler Europe’s most integrated campaign ever touches every aspect of the brand. Building from a new strategy developed at WE ARE Pi, Born Ready steers the total Wrangler customer experience, across cinema advertising, OOH/print, online, activation, social, retail and product.

The Born Ready platform brings to life Wrangler’s Born Ready personality and philosophy – a commitment to creating innovative denim products that prepare the wearer for adventure at any moment. City dwellers who love escaping to the outdoors whenever they get the chance can now transition easily from city to country, from work to adventure, all without compromising on style.

Building on a heritage of quality denim constructed for cowboys, the “Ready Range” defines a new category called “Performance Denim”. Innovations such as Rain Ready (water-resistant) and Cold Ready (winter-warming) jeans give everyday adventurers the freedom to transition seamlessly from work and city life to the great outdoors in style.

The campaign launches with a 60” brand film produced in collaboration with Media Monks Films, in which a knowing voice of the brand narrates the story of a gang of urban adventurers having escaped the city for a wilderness BBQ, only to be met with unexpected nature, in the form of a rainstorm; a situation that they are prepared for due to Wrangler’s Rain Ready and Cold Ready products and a Born Ready attitude. The launch film narrative is extended in several 15” bumper films and cinemagraphs produced. Escaping the city and being “ready for anything” then becomes a theme throughout the campaign, with real world “Born Ready Adventures” PR branded content produced in collaboration with Inkling and Feed films and an adventure finder experience built in collaboration with Retrofuzz on Wrangler.com.

In addition to other social activations, Wrangler’s collaboration with adventurer Alastair Humphreys led to the creation of interactive online maps featuring guides to adventures in and around London, Manchester and Edinburgh in the UK, plus key cities in Germany and Poland. Users can refine their search to match the type of adventure they prefer, whether it’s cycling to the top of the highest local peak or a forest walk with friends. Wrangler will be encouraging users to upload their own Born Ready Adventures to the online map with the chance to win a host of prizes. The European activation launches at the end of September.

Wrangler European Marketing Director Ilaria Pasquinelli says: “Born Ready is the role of Wrangler in today’s world. Being ready in today’s fast paced world is key. Our consumers want to be ready for anything life throws at them and want to do that in their favourite pair of jeans. Born Ready gives them the confidence to do that. Wrangler has stood for innovation at the crossroads of fashion and function since 1947. With Born Ready, we now have a brand message that can permeate our whole collection as it speaks to our roots of looking good and working hard. I hired WE ARE Pi one year ago to deliver a seamless brand experience and storytelling and the result is a powerful brand platform that communicates our promise and ethos across the line regardless where consumers get in touch with Wrangler.”

WE ARE Pi Head of Strategy Jessica Perri says, ‘In the mind of consumers, ’Wrangler were more associated with their cowboy heritage. Meanwhile their new products feature the most cutting edge innovation in the category so we needed to heal the rift between heritage and future and give the brand a clear role in customer’s lives again. The Born Ready campaign answers that call."

In order to execute this broad-reaching new strategy, Wrangler worked closely with WE ARE Pi for over a year to induct and collaborate with Wrangler’s product design, brand, sales and management team to create a campaign launch that was truly compelling to modern day consumers.

WE ARE Pi Founder and Managing Director Alex Bennett-Grant says, “Born Ready represents the fruits of a truly collaborative Client/Agency relationships through every level of the business – executing a strategy across product and marketing - to deliver a total consumer experience.”

The epic Born Ready launch film was produced by Media Monks Films shot on location in North America using cutting edge drone technology to deliver the dramatic epic selfie-style camera zoom out to reveal the forests, coastline and cityscape in one shot.

Rogier Schalken, Director and Head of Media Monks Films, says: “We’re honoured to be to working together with WE ARE Pi on such a daring brief for the rebranding of Wrangler. It was an intricate production process, combining live action and post-production to create an epic one-taker. The result is something truly fit for this everyday adventurous brand.”

The integrated Born Ready campaign runs in Cinema, Print/OOH, online, retail, PR and activation across Europe. To tease Born Ready, WE ARE Pi launched the much hyped “Wrongler v Wrangler” at the beginning of September to define the lifestyle the brand wants to support and create a clear enemy in Wrongler.

-ENDS-

Editor’s note:

About WRANGLER

The Wrangler brand launched in 1947 on a platform of innovation: to create the best-possible jeans for cowboys. Today, Wrangler continues to create the best-possible jeans, but for the needs of modern consumers. Looking good, working hard: the guiding principle in every Wrangler design is to make you feel Born ReadyTM – fully prepared for whatever life throws at you. Blending fashion and function, the collection is built on modern fits that you can live in, energized with innovative finishes. Wrangler accelerates the evolution of jeans with groundbreaking initiatives: denim that keeps the rain off or helps you feel warm in the cold. Wrangler is a founding father of jeanswear and the originator of performance denim. Wrangler’s unrivalled denim heritage lives on in stylish, functional jeans packed with iconic, original details including flat copper rivets and the ergonomic watch pocket. Signature designs such as the 27MW shirt and 11MJ jackets are beloved by denim connoisseurs and fashion fanatics alike. Broken Twill, the soft-durable fabric that Wrangler invented in 1964, remains the backbone of many denim pieces.

Wrangler is part of VF Corporation, the world's largest apparel company. VF brands include Lee, Napapijri, North Face, 7 For All Mankind and Timberland. www.wrangler-europe.com

About Alastair Humphreys:

Alastair Humphreys is a British Adventurer, Author and Blogger. He spent over 4 years cycling round the world, a journey of 46,000 miles through 60 countries and 5 continents. More recently Alastair has walked across southern India, rowed across the Atlantic Ocean, run 6 marathons through the Sahara desert, completed a crossing of Iceland, and participated in an expedition in the Arctic, close to the magnetic North Pole. He has trekked 1000 miles across the Empty Quarter desert and 120 miles round the M25 – one of his pioneering microadventures, the title of his latest book. A microadventure is a term coined by Alastair to encourage close to home, simple adventures guaranteed to refresh your life. They may be small but microadventures can still be challenging and rewarding, whether it’s sleeping on a hilltop or going for a wild swim. Each one is designed to inspire others to set their own challenges, challenges which may be short but which grasp the spirit of adventure. Alastair was also named as one of National Geographic’s Adventurers of the year for 2012 and has written several other books. www.alastairhumphreys.com Twitter: @al_humphreys

ABOUT WE ARE Pi:

Founded in 2011, WE ARE Pi is an Amsterdam based international Ideas Company that delivers brand storytelling across communication and experiences, for clients including; Coca-Cola, Under Armour, LEGO, Wrangler, Kipling, ABB and TED Conferences. www.wearepi.com

CAMPAIGN CREDITS:

CLIENT

Wrangler Europe / VF Corporation

Marketing lead - Ilaria Pasquinelli

AGENCY

WE ARE Pi

Brand Lead – Alex Bennett Grant

Creative Director - Barney Hobson

Creative Director - Rick Chant

Design Director - Nessim Higson

Art Director – Kaz Salemink

Strategy Director - Jessica Perri

Strategist - Andrea Van Den Bos

Executive Producer – Kimia Farshidzad

Producer - Kate Pirouet

Project manager – Ambar Surastri

Account Executive – Hollie Beever

PRODUCTION

Manifesto film production

Production Company - Media Monks Film

Producer – Karen Whitehouse

Executive producer - Nell Jordan

Director – Rogier Schalken

DOP – Robbie Van Brussell

Service production - Means of Production

Editor - Sander Van Wijk

Grading - Scott Harris, Glassworks Amsterdam

SFX - Michiel mullink, Amp studio Amsterdam

Music – Michael Kneebone, Toolbox

VFX supervisor- Okke Voerman

Compositor - Richard van Dusschoten

3D artists - Ivo Diependaal, Tashina Van Zwam, Martijn Grootendorst, Dimitar Kralev

3D animation - Bob Wijgman, Paulien Bekker

Voice over – Nicholas Hristou

Cinemagraph films

Production Company – Pi Productions

Directors - Mike Olbinski, Stephen Locke

Editor – Sanne Van Hecke

Sound - Amp studio Amsterdam

Voice over – Nicholas Hristou

Print production

Photographer – John Migley

Design – Pi Productions

Digital production

Website – Retrofuzz

Banner experience – Media Monks

PR activation

Brand activation - Inkling

Content films - Feed

Retail production

Production - JJ Marshall Associates

Photographer - Niall O’Brien

Retail design – Pi Production

Packaging design – Pi Production