Teva & Simple Footwear
Teva & Simple Creative
As head of the company's creative team, I was responsible for the look and feel of the Teva and Simple footwear brands from 2006 to 2012, championing efforts to redefine and revitalize the voice and vision of each brand, overseeing the conception, design, and execution of all brand, sales, and marketing creative.
Teva
When I arrived at Teva, the company was in the midst of an identity crisis, trying to maintain its edge in an ever-growing competitive market. Teva had stagnated when the competition's innovation outpaced them, and the brand aged along with its consumers. I brought the creative team in-house, let the seven-figure retainer agency go, and got to work moving the creative into the 21st century. No more posed shoots with studio lighting; we would focus on the athlete and the adventure outside in the canyon. Collaborating with product and marketing, we saw a significant shift in Teva's average consumer age from 48 to 38 and helped grow revenue by over 60% in a three-year period.
All Photos: Tony Czech
Creative Direction / Commissioning: Mike Johansen
Production Company: Helio & Company
Shot on location in Virgin, Utah, with two of the planet's best freestyle mountain bike riders, Cam McCaul and Kurt Sorge. We filmed with one of the first radio-controlled helicopters on gyro-mounted RED cameras, offering viewers a never-before-seen vantage point.
Simple.
It was an honor to bring the simple brand back to its roots in the surf and skate culture it was born from. We worked with artist and surfer Tyler Warren to curate photography and art into the seasonal catalog. We were featured in the Communication Arts Photography Annual #52 for excellence in Art Direction and Photography.
Art Direction & Creative Direction: Mike Johansen
Marketing Direction & Curation: Will Pennartz
Photos: Patrick Trefz, Hilary Walsh
