Vivobarefoot gets weird with Mack Hollins

Vivobarefoot is encouraging people to reject normal and Weird More in a new UK and US campaign by creative agency Thingy & Thingy, produced by DROOL.  

Starring the NFL’s New England Patriots’ wide receiver, Vivobarefoot ambassador and barefoot evangelist Mack Hollins, the campaign marks a major push for the British footwear brand in the US. It’s a rallying cry to give ‘normal’ the bird and embrace what’s different, starting by setting your feet free.

As the barefoot category grows, brands are increasingly clustering around a set of functional benefits that no one brand can own. “Weird More” sets out to shift the conversation for Vivobarefoot into a more ownable, emotive place to play and connect with a growing audience of barefoot-curious consumers. 

The work responds to a world in which people are feeling increasingly disempowered. They’re spending more time, energy and money in pursuit of well-being, doing everything they’re told they’re supposed to do and being sold an ever-growing number of ways to optimise themselves, without necessarily feeling any better for it.

Weird More asks a different question: if being ‘normal’ isn’t making us feel good, why are we trying so hard to achieve it? Maybe normal is the problem in the first place. Rather than offering another prescription for how people should live, the campaign plays with the idea that in an overwhelming world where we feel increasingly disconnected, putting ‘normal’ to one side and getting back to what’s natural might help us find a little more freedom and connection.

However, the world doesn’t need another serious ad about empowerment and wellbeing - humour is a much better antidote than just telling people to feel good. So puppets were employed to help.

The film stars Hollins walking through the forest in his Vivos, as a cast of surreal animal puppets marvel at his “weird shoes”. Then a Mack Hollins lookalike appears, eagle in hand, with a very different verdict, “Nice shoes Bro”, before a talking snail gets the final word, “Weird’s good.” It’s an appropriately bonkers execution of the idea. 

Directed by Tiffany Whitney Chang at DROOL Productions, the campaign was shot on location. The puppets were created by Claudia Brugnaletti of CottonClaud Studios, a live action, stop-motion puppets and props studio based in London, who has worked for renowned production houses and workshops for films including Wes Anderson’s ‘Isle of Dogs.' 

Bayarma Clark, Partner and CMO at Vivobarefoot said: “Thingy & Thingy pushed us creatively and helped bring a bold idea to life in a way that feels distinctive, memorable and unmistakably Vivobarefoot. We’re really proud of what we created together.”