Dr. Martens #STANDFORSOMETHING Tour with Sonic

Dr. Martens, the footwear, clothing and accessories brand has announced a five-country/five-city tour as Dr. Martens #STANDFORSOMETHING Tour rolls out into mainland Europe for the first time on September 8th.

Music activation and marketing group Sonic was bought in to work with the brand in 2013, and challenged to unlock Dr. Martens’ musical heritage and develop a platform to engage with fans of the brand in an authentic way. The result of this partnership is the #STANDFORSOMETHING tour, which took in 5 UK city dates in autumn 2013.

The tour is now expanding and entering an exciting second year. The tour will be headlined by one of the UK’s most exciting Alt Rock bands – Pulled Apart By Horses (pictured) – whose new album ‘Blood’ is released on 1st September. Receiving its debut on Radio 1 as ‘the hottest record in the world’ on Zane Lowe’s show, Pulled Apart By Horses have recently unveiled the first single from the album ‘Hot Squash’.

The Dr. Martens #STANDFORSOMETHING tour will be hosting gigs with one simple premise – the most rousing live acts in tiny venues, giving music lovers the chance to see the UK’s most exciting acts up close and personal.

Sonic are providing a 360° management and marketing service; Dr. Martens #STANDFORSOMETHING tour bus will roll into town with an exciting new UK artist in support and special local guest band at each leg to complete the line-up. There will also be opportunities for local fans to meet the bands at each Dr. Martens store during the day. From building brand awareness to boosting online presence, the boot and shoe brand has long been using music in a credible and creative manner.

EMEA marketing manager Ellie Wardle says: “Dr.Martens has an affinity with music and subcultures over 50 years in the making, with products that have been adopted by artists and fans alike. We are thrilled to be working with Pulled Apart By Horses, who embody the brand sentiment of rebellious individuality and will bring that sentiment to life for music lovers on the continent.”

Rupert Vereker CEO of Sonic: “We believe that Dr.Martens set the benchmark for music activation within their culture-led marketing communications. The challenge was to define the strategy in a way that could be readily communicated to the music industry and also the fans of the brand. The brief was simplified down to a set of core values inherent in the DNA of the brand: Non conformity, self expression, Britishness, individuality – and to ‘Stand for Something’.We have so far chosen bands including Dry the River, Lower Than Atlantis, Sonic Boom Six, Spector and Young Guns, all of whom have the music and character to bring these values alive for the fans. Pulled Apart By Horses fit this brief perfectly and will spearhead the campaign rollout to Europe.”

Tour dates
8th September – Maroquinerie, Paris
9th September – Molotow Exil, Hamburg
10th September – Rust, Copenhagen
11th September – Debaser Strand, Stockholm
13th September – Bitterzoet, Amsterdam