The Virgin America First Class Shoe was specifically created to tap into the audience’s love for sneaker culture and passion for technology. We put all the high-tech features of Virgin America First Class into the shoe – LED mood lighting, WiFi, a video display, a phone charger – they even had seat-belt buckle instead of shoelaces. It was literally a groundbreaking design feat that expanded the boundaries of what wearable technology could be. We made only one pair and put them up for auction on eBay on National Sneaker Day with all proceeds going to a charity that fights poverty by distributing shoes and clothing. We seeded the story with sneaker bloggers, and it spread to tech, fashion, and mainstream media outlets around the world. Every time the shoe was written about, the features of Virgin America First Class were repeated. Bids for the shoes soared to over $97,000.00.

Like normal shoes, you put them on your feet. However, instead of laces, we used the seat belt buckle for the fastener. A tiny switch in the heel activates the LED mood lighting and video display (which comes pre-loaded with the video of your choice). To charge your phone, use the USB input. Access the WiFi through the settings on your device. Like a cell phone, the shoe can be recharged by plugging it into any electrical outlet. The technology required a 1GHz, single-core CPU with 512MB RAM, a mini-HDMI port, a micro-USB OTG port, a 2” LCD screen, miniature WiFi, and a hotspot, all powered by a rechargeable lithium ion polymer battery. The shoes enable users to watch their favorite movies on its screen, surf the web wherever they walk, charge their phone from the side of the shoe, and add purple LED mood lighting to any occasion. The only pair of Virgin First Class Shoes was produced and auctioned on eBay in October 2016.

The shoes received global press coverage and were featured on many news stations, including a segment on Good Morning America, which reached 1.6 million viewers alone. All of it drove to a charity auction on eBay, where in just one week, bids for the world’s only pair climbed to $97,000.00. In the end, Virgin America spent nothing on media but enjoyed an incredible 338,000,000 earned media impressions and a surge in traffic on their online booking site. People around the world were reading and talking about the amenities of a 10-year-old airline product as if it was new. Long term? Apparently we started a trend, with Pizza Hut and KLM Airlines recently using sneakers to tout their products.

With just $10,000, we took a 10-year old airline product and turned it into a pair of high-tech sneakers that were written and talked about all over the world, each time repeating our message about the amenities of Virgin America First Class in a fresh and positive way. Not only did the Virgin America First Class Shoe generate millions of earned media impressions and bookings for our client, but they also expanded the boundaries of what wearable technology could be.

Despite Virgin America being an innovator in the airline category, other carriers were starting to catch up by offering similar in-flight experiences. We needed to remind fliers that Virgin America First Class was still the most luxurious and high-tech experience in the sky. We only had $10,000.00. So we created a bespoke, high-tech item that embodied Virgin America First Class and would pique the interest of media and sneaker freaks everywhere.