As part of an integrated campaign, we designed limited-edition Nike shoes and an interactive Twitter contest that encouraged audiences to not just be passive watchers, but inspired makers as well.

Along with the blessing of world-famous Nike designer Tinker Hatfield, we concepted and created a Boxtroll-inspired shoe from the sole up, looking as though it came straight from the Boxtrolls’ cavern. Design features included burlap side panels, twine laces with steampunk lace locks and cheese-print sock liners, all Nike firsts. The shoe packaging also included the movie tagline laser-etched into the box, Dri-FIT socks printed to look like Boxtroll bandages, a sugar sack shoe bag, and tissue stuffers that unwrapped to read as the front page of the Cheesebridge Cheesecloth, an The Onion-style newspaper with headlines playing off plot points in the film.

And families had two ways to win the limited-edition shoes. They could bid in eBay auctions where all the proceeds funded AdoptUSKids, a non-profit organization tying in with the adoptive parenting theme in the film. Or they could submit their own cardboard creations to our Twitter contest, of which there were thousands of submissions from kids and families eager to flaunt their own maker-sensibilities, just like the Boxtrolls.

As expected, the Nike Trollstrikes launched to massive enthusiasm from the sneakerhead community, being covered on HYPEBEAST, HighSnobiety and other relevant cultural outlets. And because we realized that many sneakerheads now have families of their own, we decided to launch adult and kid sizes, creating a new frenzy among Nike aficionados wanting to bond with their children over The Boxtrolls.

The Twitter contest received well over a thousand homemade, cardboard submissions in hopes of winning pairs of the extremely rare shoes and became an inspirational gallery of fans’ creativity. That and 840 pairs of the shoes were auctioned on eBay, raising nearly $400,000 for charity in assisting foster children in finding loving homes.

Ultimately, the Nike Trollstrikes, as part of the overall integrated campaign, helped drive the biggest box-office opening weekend ever for LAIKA, grossing over $100 million worldwide, exceeding both our client’s as well as Hollywood’s expectations for the film and eventually leading to an Oscar nomination.