Stance UK expansion

Stance— Brand Partnership, Brand Strategy, Event Production, Creative Direction, Brand Marketing, Client Relations, Multicultural & Millennial Influencer Marketing, Community Engagement, Communications & Digital Strategy, Activation Management, Content Marketing

Stance, UK launch, community engagement, Influencer marketing, Experiential Strategy

Role: UK Brand Ambassador, Creative Director, Brand Strategist, Event Producer, Social Media

The Ask

Support Stance's UK and EU expansion through culture-driven brand activations that will help raise awareness, drive sales, and build trust, reinforcing Stance's position as a leader within the apparel category. 

Strategic Approach

Founded in 2009, Stance is an American sock, underwear, and t-shirt brand known for its innovative materials, comfort, quality, and uniqueness. Early on, Stance pioneered a new approach to sock manufacturing and marketing, identifying a new category in lifestyle apparel. This resulted in Stance selling over 50 million socks and growing its brand from zero to $70 million in under six years, drawing the attention of athletes, performers, and iconic cultural influencers to the brand.

For a long time, socks weren't an item of clothing you got too excited about shopping for or wearing unless they were a novelty gift for Christmas. The unique challenge with launching Stance in the UK was being able to change how people in the UK perceived socks. Through a combination of qualitative and quantitative research, I learned that in addition to the brand's quality construction and innovative materials, at its core, the brand prides itself on being a culture of doers bound by curiosity, freethinkers who celebrate a life less ordinary. Armed with this insight, my strategic approach was to lead with the brand's core values and messaging while providing opportunities for consumers to sample the product to build awareness and excitement around the brand and develop deep relationships with new consumers.

Creative Solution

The Stance Uncommon Thread brand campaign inspired me to look for opportunities where Stance could engagingly connect with consumers, strategically focusing on messaging, product value, and consumer access. Working collaboratively with the Stance UK team, we developed and executed a series of events and activations that would enhance Stance's presence in the UK.

Results 

Socks can simultaneously be functional, fashionable, and fun. Over five years, I have helped contribute to the success of Stance UK expansion by bringing these principles to life through a series of curated content, strategic partnerships, fashion campaigns, and a variety of events. Including pop-up activations and large-scale brand experiences like Laced Up, a fun footwear-themed event that my creative partner Nigel Ruwende and I produced in partnership with Footlocker. This successfully drove high engagement among creative millennials from various industries, including fashion, music, and film, increasing exposure, driving sales, and building consumer trust.