Bobbie Parisi is the mastermind behind the KEEN Footwear’s Hybrid.STAND campaign, which netted a mention on Advertising Age's list of top 50 marketing ideas for 2007. In this SLM interview, she offers a behind-the-scenes look at the sustainable-lifestyles contest that helped boost KEEN’s web traffic by more than 50%.

SLM: What is the Hybrid.STAND campaign, and how did you come up with the concept?

Bobbie: About a year and a half ago KEEN embarked on a project called Hybrid.THINK, in which we challenged ourselves internally to become more sustainable in all areas of our business, from product design to packaging to the tradeshow booth. So the challenge to the marketing group was to find ways to communicate these values to the consumer.

The Hybrid.STAND campaign came out of a series of brainstorming sessions focusing on how to talk to our consumers about sustainability in a way that's relevant to them. It didn't come overnight, but in the end we came up with the idea for a contest recognizing leadership in one of three different areas: incorporating sustainability into creative pursuits such as writing or photojournalism, integrating the passion for sustainability into outdoor activities, and promoting sustainability through nonprofit organizations.

SLM: Sustainability and the outdoors are a natural fit but, rather than emphasizing the conservation of natural beauty, STAND focuses on more on the power of the individual to make a difference. How does that strengthen the message?

Bobbie: We wanted to take the sustainability issue from the 30,000 feet level down to something an individual can personally become involved with. In addition to making the topic feel more immediate, this really helped us reinforce our brand position - we said "Hey, we're not perfect, but we're challenging ourselves to get better and we want to help you think about incorporating sustainability into your own personal choices." I think consumers appreciated that we weren't pitching product or touting our own environmental efforts but rather asking them to join us in trying to be more sustainable.

SLM: Why not tout your own environmental efforts? Isn't the goal of any marketing campaign, in the end, to promote the company?

Bobbie: Our focus was to get consumers to our website to find more information on the contest, which would naturally lead to visitors checking out our product.

SLM: And did it?

Bobbie: Very much so. During the three months of the contest our web traffic increased 58%. We had more than 1,500 people enter the contest, which might sound small but they had to have a sound idea and take the time to complete the entry requirements. From there we chose three grand prize winners and 12 runners-up. Since we announced the winners last month we've seen a second bump in web traffic of about 20%. While we don't sell online, we do have a dealer locator for KEEN products - and clickthroughs on that portion of the site reflected the overall increase in web traffic.

The contest paid off in another way as well - it elevated the brand on a lot of high-profile blogs and other media outlets. Treehugger, for example, covered the campaign on their website, both when we launched the contest and when we announced the winners. We also got featured on the Ellen DeGeneres show on Earth Day, and each audience member received one of our sustainable bags and a pair of our Ventura vegan shoes. I don't think we would have gotten that kind of visibility without the STAND contest. It opened a lot of doors for us.

SLM: Why do you think the STAND campaign was so successful?

Bobbie: We used real people to start the sustainability conversation. We created a short film featuring everyday people who are incorporating sustainability into their careers or product ideas. We screened the film as part of the college campus tour across the U.S. (clips are available online). These stories served as inspirations to others and to motivate them to enter the contest. I think it’s easier for consumers to relate to that than to a corporate sustainability effort.

SLM: What's next for STAND? Will the contest be held again next year?

Bobbie: We're discussing that right now. We're still preparing for our STAND festival July 12 in Portland, where we'll introduce the three grand-prize winners and feature all 15 of the contest-winning ideas at an afternoon event.

Hear Bobbie speak live at Sustainable Brands '08!