As part of a bold advertising stunt during Berlin’s July 7th through 9th Premium Fashion Week, German DIY brand Hornbach stuck a swimming pool in a giant pair of sneakers. Collaborating with German shoe store “43halb,” Hornbach’s “
The project fit with the Home and Garden store’s mission to “encourage people to be as creative as possible, develop their own
“With the help of assembly instructions, anyone could build furniture at home,” it continued. “With the Sneaker Pool, Hornbach is taking a step into the
While that might seem like a strange direction for a hardware chain to take, off-the-wall advertising is the norm for Hornbach. “Sneakers and pool don’t go together thematically? We say: Of course it fits! Crazy projects are in our DNA! With the Hornbach Sneaker Pool, we show how far the current love of sneakers can go.”
Earlier this year, the DIY brand teamed up with production agency Heimat on a zany two-minute commercial featuring neglected yard plants that abandoned their native soil to take a raucous joy ride to Hornbach. On the way, they run over garbage cans, compete in streetcar races, and get ticketed by a police officer.
“There’s a bit of anarchy,” Heimat founder Guido Heffels says of the brand’s approach to advertising. “A bit of giving people a good feeling whenever they create, and whatever they work on.”
The company is no stranger to collabs either, having most recently worked with Chinese visual artist
In addition to working with shoe store 43halb, the hardware brand also enlisted production company Neulant van Exel for help in assembling the enormous footwear fixture. The giant Sneaker Pool was unveiled at an exclusive launch event, garnering comments that ranged from “Sensational!” to “Kinda bizarre” to “Just amazing!” At least a few guests were allowed to try out the pool during the gala.
During the event, the company explained, “The Hornbach Sneaker Pool is a tongue-in-cheek reminder that the outdoor pool season is in full swing and that anything is possible with the wide pool range from Hornbach.”
They added, “For Hornbach, sneakers and DIY are both means of creative self-expression. This playful and colossal project merges the two outlets.”
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