Timberland ads aim to cut carbon footprint
Boot campaign vows power credits, recycling
Timberland Co. is launching what it calls the first carbon-neutral broadcast advertising campaign, which aims to be as gentle on the environment as the new line of boots it promotes.
The campaign begins Monday and touts Timberland's Earthkeepers collection, boots made with organic canvas, recycled rubber outsoles, and recycled linings. To rekindle interest in the flagging boot market, the Stratham, N.H., company has created a leave-few-carbon-traces campaign with the help of Arnold, the Boston-based ad agency.
Carbon dioxide emissions associated with running the Earthkeepers commercials on television, radio, and the Internet will be offset with power credits purchased from the Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort wind project in Hancock, Mass. The company is purchasing additional offsets to cover a portion of emissions due to the campaign's production and distribution.
When the promotion ends, its billboards will be transformed into tote bags; print materials will be recycled.
"Environmental stewardship is part of our brand DNA," said Carol Yang, Timberland's vice president of global marketing. The company's research indicates that when consumers learn more about its efforts to minimize its environmental footprint, positive perceptions of its brand rises.
While others are skeptical about Timberland's "first" claim and quibble with the accuracy of its carbon calculations, there is no dispute that carbon neutrality is growing in popularity for companies.
The ads are scheduled to run from Monday through mid-December in Boston and Providence during Patriots and Celtics games and such shows as "The Office," ESPN's "SportsCenter," and Discovery Channel's "Man vs. Wild." Motorists won't escape: Timberland billboards will dot major highways around greater Boston. And commuters at South Station will see the campaign on billboards, bus shelters, and banners.
It's part of the firm's efforts to reach an older-than-30 male shopper that Yang calls "the engager," someone who dabbles in the outdoors and is willing to drop $160 on boots. "This is not the kind of guy who would be climbing Mount Everest, for sure," she said. "He's also not a couch potato."
The campaign includes a dramatic television spot that features a man prepared for the full range of elements, including a made-for-Hollywood rainstorm. But the boots are unlikely to contend with the mud and sweat of a multiday hike - more like the splash from misjudging the size of a puddle. Earthkeepers are "more of a city boot," Yang said.
Analysts have struck a pessimistic tone about Timberland's "waning cachet" in recent weeks.
While the firm revised earnings down four times this year and late last month said it was closing 40 retail stores, Timberland "still shows no sign of recovery," JPMorgan's Robert Samuels wrote.
"In the near term, a faster-than-expected recovery in its consumer direct and/or boot business as well as a fashion shift . . . or strong success with its newer styles would likely drive improved sales and profitability," he wrote.
Diedtra Henderson can be reached at dhenderson@globe.com.