BIRKENSTOCK

/

UGLY FOR A REASON

Turning an event into a permanent story
Throughout its long and rich history of shoe making, Birkenstock has always championed the health of the human foot. In spring 2022,  the brand, together with The New York Times, embarked on a the three-part documentary series - Ugly for a Reason - to explore the importance of foot health and reveal why healthy shoes look exactly the way they do.
Turning an event into a permanent story
Throughout its long and rich history of shoe making, Birkenstock has always championed the health of the human foot. In spring 2022,  the brand, together with The New York Times, embarked on a the three-part documentary series - Ugly for a Reason - to explore the importance of foot health and reveal why healthy shoes look exactly the way they do.
Date
2022
Client
Birkenstock
Project
Digital Journey Creation
TAG 01
TAG 02
TAG 03

THE CHALLENGE

Birkenstock turned to Machinas to take these documentary videos and turn them into a journey into the digital journey - its heritage, purpose and products. Considering the scale of this project, Machinas's challenge was to ensure all stakeholders' alignment, creating a special visual outcome without losing the brand's essence.

THE CONCEPT

Narrative

We embrace the seriousness, the weight and substance of the topic of foot health. We make it all about the feet. We forget about marketing and eCommerce speak. We continue the story with carefully curated facts that support Birkenstock's unique expertise in foot health. We talk about the number of bones in our feet, the number of steps taken in a lifetime. We do that in a way that is enjoyable and easy to browse.

User journeys

NYT subscribers land on the Birkenstock eshop with an interest. Now is the time to strengthen and deepen that interest with the UFAR LPs. With every piece of information we open a door and invite consumers to step into the world of Birkenstock.

THE SOLUTION

We directed traffic from The New York Times to dedicated landing pages for each episode of the Ugly for a Reason documentary series, focusing on various aspects of foot health with engaging content. The pages were designed to blend education, tradition, and trends, using advanced CSS to modernize Birkenstock's design while preserving the brand's aesthetic. Each episode's release brought fresh updates to keep audiences engaged. Additionally, Machinas created a redesigned UFAR landing page within Birkenstock's e-shop, integrating dynamic motion and a modern layout to connect storytelling with shopping.

THE IMPACT

The Ugly for a Reason landing page project successfully connected Birkenstock’s documentary series with its e-commerce platform. The visually engaging design and dynamic content not only attracted increased traffic but also deepened user engagement. Both Birkenstock and T Brand Studio praised the execution, while the project garnered significant PR attention. Most importantly, the integration between the documentary and e-commerce led to improved sales conversions, demonstrating the effectiveness of this innovative digital approach.
Back to Projects
UP