At the Drop Up, B/R Kicks took the best aspects of sneaker culture—the kicks, the athletes, the music and the style—and brought them to life. Back for its second year, the Drop Up was developed with the notion that “we are all sneakerheads,” and Bleacher Report served those sneakerheads through a two-day event in the heart of New York City’s Meatpacking District.
Drop Up took place on the picturesque NYC High Line, where guests were welcomed to the Kicks community by traveling on the "Friends and Family" tour, which allowed them to customize products, get exclusive access and, most importantly, cop some heat. B/R Kicks partnered with It’s From The Sole to donate new and gently used sneakers collected as guests arrived at the event.
Together, with a content series, merchandise collab and live-event experience, B/R Kicks and Chinatown Market created a comprehensive campaign that brought the theme of "Friends and Family" to life across multiple platforms.
Leading up to the event, Mike Cherman of Chinatown Market and B/R Kicks hosted a three-part video and podcast series called "Friends and Family" that explored streetwear, street culture and the athletes and designers behind it. The Drop Up acted as the culmination of the series with exclusive sales of the custom collaboration created with Lil Yachty, Cole Bennett and Kelly Oubre Jr. in each episode.
At the Drop Up, B/R Kicks invited guests to journey through the "Friends and Family" tour, an immersive experience that guided consumers through a series of stops that highlighted the best of sneaker and street culture. Each stop on the tour, ranging from showing off your sneakers in a mini-NYC skyline photo to casting your vote for the best shoes of the year, allowed guests to check in via QR code and be entered for the chance to win some true sneaker grails.
50,000 custom-branded MetroCards were placed in subway stations across New York City. Lucky attendees who discovered these cards and brought them to the event were eligible to enter the exclusive “Grail Giveaway,” where the year’s most valuable shoe was given to the winner at the event.
The Drop Up was an opportunity for brand partners to reach B/R Kicks fans and establish themselves within the worlds of sneaker and street culture. With all partners being included as stops on the "Friends and Family" tour, consumers were able to experience and engage with the brands IRL.
With a custom art installation by Honorroller, 1800 Tequila owned the sole moment of entry by way of the freight elevator. Once inside, guests were provided 1800 Tequila cocktails in the secret bar, hidden behind an unassuming bodega entrance.
As the Official Payment Partner, American Express offered exclusive experiences for their cardholders at the event, which included expedited entry/VIP lane, merchandise only available to cardholders and access to the Jason Markk sneaker cleaning station for the freshest kicks in the building.
B/R Kicks brought boxing and sneaker culture together through a one-of-a-kind sneaker-filled punching bag. Guests who snapped and shared a photo in the experience were entered for the chance to win a custom prize package from Showtime x B/R.
StockX’s “Sneaker of the Year” wall gave attendees the chance to vote for their favorite sneaker over the past 12 months. With the custom StockX smileys dropped in, the best of the year became clear over the course of the event, and each pair was given away to 10 lucky fans who completed the "Friends and Family" tour.
During an unseasonably cold December in NYC, the Drop Up really turned up the heat. The two-day event brought out serious and casual sneakerheads alike, while giving everyone the chance to snag exclusive merch, win some kicks and see what it’s like to be a part of B/R Kicks’ friends and family.
The event was open for a VIP preview event on Thursday night and a general admission, open-to-all consumer event on Friday.
WWD and Fast Company are a few of the many media outlets that covered the event.
Over 25K views and impressions generated from Drop Up-related content across all social channels.
