• by Tanya Gazdik , 3 hours ago

Foot Locker is launching a new brand platform that reflects the company's role at the center of sneaker and basketball culture.

“It Always Will Be Foot Locker” is anchored by a two-minute brand anthem narrated by rapper and actor Method Man.

The hero film brings iconic chapters in sneaker culture to life, showcasing the lasting influence of some of the most iconic footwear ever made, according to the company. Across every era, the Foot Locker Striper remains a constant, symbolizing the brand's longstanding role connecting sneaker enthusiasts with the products, brands, and communities that continue to shape culture.

“Foot Locker's Striper remains visible throughout, linking the video back to the brand's identity," according to Designrush. “The result gives the company a cultural history it can keep building on as sneaker tastes continue to change.”

The spot is both a nostalgic celebration of the brand’s history, as well as a look forward to what’s next. 

“Think Moses Malone in white and red Air Force 1 Nikes in the NBA playoffs,” according to Brand Innovators. “Andre Agassi in green and white Stan Smiths at the U.S. Open. Run DMC in adidas Superstars on the streets of Queens. NBA star Larry Johnson dressed as Grandmama on Family Matters wearing black Converse Aero Jams. All the way through to an unreleased pair of Caitlin Clark Nikes.”

The campaign marks the next chapter in Foot Locker's brand evolution, honoring the iconic stories, defining moments and cultural influence that have shaped sneaker culture for more than five decades and continue to drive it forward.

“The work follows the May debut of Foot Locker’s year-round basketball brand platform, ‘Hoops Lives Here,’”  according to Marketing Dive. “Similar to the way creative in that platform nodded to the retailer’s basketball bona fides, ‘It Always Will Be Foot Locker’ opens the aperture to include moments beyond sport.”

The campaign was created in partnership with creative agency Someplace.

“The Santa Monica, California-based shop was founded in 2022 by three Wieden+Kennedy veterans who had worked on the agency’s Nike account for years and proved a natural fit for Foot Locker because of its cultural literacy,” according to Marketing Dive.

The debut film marks the launch of an integrated campaign spanning broadcast, social, digital, out-of-home and in-store, bringing the platform to life across culture.

“For Brett O’Brien, senior vice president and chief marketing officer at Foot Locker, the new messaging comes from the notion that the retailer ‘may not have invented sneaker culture, but it did give it a home, and it always will,’” according to Footwear News. 

“It’s really important for us to continue to evolve and continue to be that home for sneaker culture,” O’Brien, who joined the company just after Dick’s Sporting Goods completed its acquisition of Foot Locker late last year, told FN in an interview. “So, we’re starting off with this creative that is sort of a look back through memory lane to remind everyone that Foot Locker has always been there through these moments.”