Havaianas dipped its flip-flop clad toes into the world of augmented experiences, creating a virtual storefront on the Venice Beach Boardwalk for a campaign called, “Step into Summer.” The brand collaborated with street artist Buff Monster to create a colorful, one-day mural at Windward Circle near the beach’s skatepark.
The street art held more than just bold designs. The expansive tropical art installation was layered with Google Vision artificial intelligence (AI) to give boardwalk visitors a fully immersive experience and the ability to shop Havaianas on the spot.
When onlookers scanned their favorite part of the mural with their mobile devices, they were redirected to the Havaiana’s site where a pair of sandals that matched the color of that mural’s section appeared. Those who stepped onto the mural to shop the boardwalk store received styling tips from celebrity wardrobe stylist Tara Swennen.
The company partnered with Buff Monster because of his Hawaiian heritage and natural compatibility in his art and the brand’s style. In the creation of the mural, Buff Monster used his signature bright colors and bold lines.
“The U.S. is a huge opportunity for Havaianas and a lot of people haven’t discovered us yet. We want to change that,” said Fernanda Romano, executive director of Digital Channels for Havaianas’ parent company Alpargatas.
The company is known for creating multi-channel campaigns internationally. The brand’s recent Local Soul Project gave local artists in Ibiza, Tel Aviv, and Mykonos the chance to showcase their design skills using Havaianas as their canvas. To complement the initiative, Havaianas hosted summer beach parties that brought a touch of Brazil to the Mediterranean at each of the three locations. Six pairs featuring designs that paid homage to the three cities were available to buy from retailers exclusively in those areas.
This year, Havaianas also created a 90-second video spot vshowing the quirks of Brazilian culture with a Stranger Things tie-in. The spot tells the story of Brazilians who bought Havaianas in 1985 only to remove the straps and flip over the soles with the belief that they looked nicer and more colorful. An upbeat version of the show’s theme song plays as the spot closes with: “So, what’s stranger: the city with the upside-down world or the country with the upside-down flip flops?”
