Chaco
Social Identity
Chaco Footwear was founded by a Colorado rafting guide with a vision: to create the ultimate footwear capable of withstanding any adventure, whether in or out of the water. With a mission to encourage more people to embrace the outdoors and experience the support of their shoes, Chaco's iconic Z/Sandal was born.
Since its inception, Chaco has been renowned for creating the ultimate in durability, comfort, and longevity when it comes to sport sandals. Their unwavering dedication to repairing their sandals through the ReChaco Program has forged an unparalleled and enduring bond between consumers, the brand, and the sandals that instill a sense of pride in being part of the #ChacoNation.
Born on the river and fit for adventure since 1989.
The Opportunity
We worked with Chaco Footwear beginning in late 2019 to develop a social rebranding initiative and create an all-encompassing social strategy. Our objective was to not only engage their loyal, heritage consumer base but also connect with the burgeoning, youthful demographic. These newcomers to the #ChacoNation were a diverse group, living in urban settings, commuting to school, yet equally passionate about outdoor activities such as hiking, biking, rafting, and urban exploration. Chaco sought a content plan and social strategy that would strike a chord with this target audience, enabling the brand to both retain its loyal fans and expand its reach to captivate the new generation.
Project Services
- User Research
- Brand Strategy
- Positioning
- Photo Styling
- Social Strategy
- Video Production
The Solution
Amidst the social rebrand, Handcar developed a suite of social identity graphics designed to convey this fresh brand positioning to their audience. Drawing inspiration from vibrant color palettes, organic shapes, and the natural world, we crafted a diverse array of assets. This included story slide templates, dynamic "Weekly Recap" snippets featuring user-generated content, in-feed carousels, meticulously branded highlight icons, social covers, and much more.
Recognizing the vast potential within Chaco's audience to connect on a personal level during significant consumer moments, we tailored a social strategy that fostered genuine engagement. By tapping into current social and entertainment trends, we warmly invited the audience to join us in conversation, co-create content, and showcased their profound affection for the brand through heartfelt and relatable social interactions.
The trust placed in Handcar by the Chaco team paved the way for Handcar to initiate a launch on TikTok and a re-launch of Pinterest. Venturing into uncharted territory, Chaco emerged as one of the early brands on TikTok, with Handcar playing a significant role in shaping their presence on that platform.
We didn't just navigate the brand's journey; we shared two incredible Holiday campaigns, embarked on two memorable #ChacoTours spanning the nation, introduced the innovative ReChaco Factory, and extended the reach of user-generated content within the Chacosphere. Handcar became an integral part of the Chaco Footwear brand on social media, seamlessly blending into their marketing team through a massive COVID response, and beyond.
The Results
Shortly after the account takeover, Chaco quickly witnessed a remarkable upswing: a 13% increase in audience growth throughout 2020, accompanied by notable spikes in Instagram engagement by 4% and Facebook engagement by 1.4%.
Our first year in the account resulted in the Chaco total audience growing to over 1 million (a 3.6% increase YoY), with the launch of TikTok contributing nearly 9K followers shortly after its inception. The newly created Pinterest and TikTok accounts managed by Handcar added nearly 1 million new consumer engagements for the brand in 2021.
Continuously, Handcar has fostered strong influencer partnerships, overseeing the latest 2022 Holiday influencer campaign. Furthermore, we've introduced the dedicated consumer base to informative content such as "How to clean your Chacos" and "How to adjust your straps."
2022 Stats
Since the take-over
K
Profile visits on Instagram
+.K
Saves on Instagram
+K
followers in 2022
