Sneaker of the Year & Card of the Year: Social Media Campaign for Community and Engagement

OVERVIEW

The year-end period is crowded with transient promotions and hype-driven campaigns, making it difficult for SNKRDUNK to stand out as the trusted voice of sneaker culture.

The challenge was to create a campaign that not only cut through the noise but also sustained engagement and fostered organic participation without relying on discounts or one-off hype drops.

Side-by-side images of two sneakers with a text overlay promoting a sneaker tournament and voting. The left sneaker is Futura x Nike SB Dunk Low in White and Geode Teal, and the right sneaker is Wu-Tang Clan x Nike Dunk High Retro PRM in Black and Pollen.

STRATEGY & TACTICS

I led the multichannel strategy and execution of a tournament-style campaign that positioned SNKRDUNK as a trusted voice in sneaker culture. Fans voted in head-to-head matchups on Instagram Stories, building anticipation and culminating in the winning sneaker as the giveaway item.

Integration across SNKRDUNK Magazine, the app, and EDM, all driving traffic back to the Instagram announcement to maximize reach. Engagement, votes, shares, and clicks were tracked in real-time, enabling optimization across all channels.

Promotional graphic for a sneaker giveaway featuring a Travis Scott x Nike Air Jordan 1 Low OG SP 'Reverse Olive' shoe with a black Nike swoosh on a gray background.

IMPACT

+151% Instagram engagement through interactive Story voting and shareable content.

+3% year-over-year participation growth, reflecting sustained community activity in a declining sneaker market as of 2024.

Strengthened cross-selling, with top hype sneakers featured in the campaign ranking among the app’s best-selling items.

A digital graphic promoting a Yu-Gi-Oh! card tournament titled 'Yu-Gi-Oh! of the Year Tournament,' featuring images of various anime-style trading cards arranged in brackets against a lightning background.

Additionally, SNKRDUNK expanded its audience from sneaker enthusiasts to the emerging trading card collector market, marking a first-of-its-kind initiative to increase awareness and engagement while reinforcing its position as a trusted marketplace for trading cards other than sneakers.

Image credits: SNKRDUNK