Footwear and accessories retailer Schuh is reaching out to shoppers in a fresh way and has launched a new ‘Same, but different’ brand platform, saying it’s challenging audiences to “reject the mundane” with the debut.

It means it’s “transforming from a multi-brand retailer into a meaningful high-street footwear destination”.

The new ‘brand platform’ comes with two 30-second ads “featuring children and young adults embracing their main character energy against a backdrop of relatable, everyday situations”.

The company said it marks a “new phase for the brand” and the first campaign under the new banner “aims to forge stronger relationships with audiences who are rejecting the mundane homogeny of uniformed dressing and are opting to express a more creative side to their personal style”.

It’s also the first campaign with the retailer’s new creative strategy partner, ZAK, which was only appointed two months ago. 

The creative direction was inspired by intelligence derived from the agency’s cultural insight platform, Selfhood, “which identified the fluidity that 16-24 year-old consumers are embracing in how they dress. The approach aims to connect the retailer with diverse audiences by inspiring independence and giving consumers the confidence to style themselves however they choose”.

It has just launched across the UK on linear TV, video-on-demand, and social channels such as TikTok and Instagram, as well as out-of-home, gaming video, and through digital partners until the end of the year. The two 30-second ads will also mark the return of Schuh to UK TV screens after more than a decade.

Marketing chief Stephanie Lego explained that the retailer “has always supported and celebrated self-expression and cultural diversity, and we continue to be that progressive and inclusive brand today. Where other retailers box people in, we help people break out. We’re committed to forging a safe space where young adults can confidently showcase their unique style without fear of judgement and be unapologetically themselves. We’re the same Schuh, but same looks different these days.”

As for the campaign itself, it follows an ensemble cast, a collective of models, artists, creatives and writers, “each embodying the spirit of modern youth. Each scene celebrates a shared mindset amongst each character — a collective refusal to be labelled”. 

The locations in which these individuals and the products are seen are varied. New Rock wedges feature in a late-night chicken shop; Schuh Collection boots are spotted in the aisles of a grocery store; Nike Air Max strides through an upmarket tennis club; Dr Martens boots are seen in a gentleman’s barber shop.

Behind the scenes, the London-based creatives who worked on the campaign include director Ricky Gibb, stylist Jake Hunte, and set and production designer Nuha Mekki.