In 1947, a rodeo tailor was hired by Wrangler to design jeans for cowboys. These tough ranch hands were brought in to give advice as to whether they needed a little more give for their thighs or a bit more stretch in the backside. Wrangler is now going back to those roots with a jean design competition that wraps up with the winner’s project appearing as part of the “Next Blue” jean collection launching this fall.
“We’ve always placed a great deal of value on the insights and ideas of our consumers,” Craig Errington, vice president of marketing for Wrangler, said. “They have incredible ideas about what they want their jeans to look like and how they want them to function. Now, the ability to collaborate with consumers is at an all-time high, thanks to the ever-growing digital and social space. We thought this was the perfect time to put the design process directly into consumers’ hands.”
Participants are asked to come only with a vision, no experience necessary, to NextBlue.com where they will upload a short video explaining a unique jean idea and give it a name, which may be used to market the new jean. The hope is to attract not only Wrangler loyalists, but also a fresh roster of young, hip jean wearers who may not have previously consider Wrangler. The brand plans to maintain communications—with consent—with those who register for the promotion, Errington said.
The promotion runs through March 29. The submissions will be narrowed down by consumer voting, then based on originality and number of votes, five finalists will head to the Wrangler headquarters in Greensboro, NC, to work with designers, merchandisers and marketers to produce their jeans. On April 19, those five designs will appear on the Web site for one week of voting. The winner will be announced April 26, receive $5,000 and have their jean design produced, marketed and sold by Wrangler.
A comprehensive marketing campaign supports “Next Blue” with digital, word-of-mouth, public relations and grassroots initiatives. As part of these initiatives, a team of “Next Blue” ambassadors, including students from top design schools and loyal Wrangler customers, will spread the word in key U.S. markets. The contest is powered by Strutta.
“While the concept of an online design competition is progressive, it is closely tied to our brand’s legacy. ‘Next Blue’ is simply another way to demonstrate to consumers – via new avenues—that we value them and want to hear their ideas,” Errington said.
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