In a category owned by big athletic brands, K-Swiss needed to take a big risk to enter the conversation. Staying true to Kenny’s persona was essential and in doing so K-Swiss delivered entertaining content that happened to be branded, as opposed to long form content that tries to be entertaining. Entertaining content has become a staple of creative excellence at our agency and has proven to be a powerful tool in cutting through a landscape cluttered with distracting media and content. While other sports marketers have tried using long-form content, it has always been sports focused and a place to tell a brand story.K-Swiss paved the way of using this space to create risky, curated entertainment that would make people wonder if they had seen an ad or a film with great product placement.

In 2010 K-Swiss signed the controversial, fictional athlete, from HBO's Eastbound & Down to an endorsement deal. In 2011 Kenny Powers took advantage of a stock option clause in his contract to force a hostile takeover and become the MFCEO. Mr. Powers proceeds to revolutionise the sports world by signing the most badass athletes to help run K-Swiss and market the greatest training shoe ever: Micro Tubes. The campaign kicked-off with an uncensored film on FunnyorDie.com that documents Kenny’s epic rise to corporate power. Consumers then felt the onslaught of Kenny’s 360 marketing genius. The Tubes TV campaign premièred on the ESPYs coinciding with Kenny taking over the annual “Revenge of the Jocks” edition of ESPN magazine with his own editorial section on how to un-suck the sports world.

The MFCEO campaign film gained ‘Immortal’ status on Funny or Die and has been viewed online over 7m times. With over 448m unpaid media impressions and over 200m views of campaign spots, K-Swiss was re-launched as a brand that commanded attention in popular culture and in the business world. Forbes magazine featured the campaign in an article, ‘No Guts No F’n Glory’, applauding K-Swiss for its epic ‘ballsiness’ and its distinctive brand of disruptive marketing that was worshipped by young athletically minded males everywhere.The website saw an increase in sales and K-Swiss shoes can now be found on the coveted ‘shoe wall’ at Foot Lockers, Foot Action, Dick’s and more. Lines from the films have been adapted into everyday conversation and even made into T-Shirts and other clothing.