Overview
Launched in October 2017, this four-month campaign increased Luku Watches’ brand awareness by uniting hip-hop culture with brand storytelling in an exclusive partnership with local artists as brand ambassadors. The campaign celebrated individual expression and creativity through artist collaborations, which resulted in increased brand awareness, improved sales across all channels, and a sustainable network of local artist partnerships.
Research & Design
Art direction · Visual brand storytelling · Research & Market Analysis · Brand positioning · Stakeholder interviews · Community-centered strategy
- Duration: October 2017 - February 2018
- Partners: Local hip-hop artists, Creative communities (5 cities)
- Team: Fas Lebbie, Colby Smith, Alec McDonald
WHAT I BROUGHT
I conducted stakeholder interviews and market analysis across five cities, developing community-centered strategies and brand positioning that shifted from luxury marketing to authentic cultural integration.
I led art direction and visual brand storytelling that authentically integrated timepieces into hip-hop culture through strategic photography and content creation.
Assisted in building artist partnerships and helped the team to establish sustainable collaboration strategies, generating organic brand advocacy through local community-driven advocacy through content creation.
Campaign Background
The Snapback Watch campaign tapped into the vibrant intersection of fashion, culture, and individual expression rooted in the snapback culture since the 1990s. While other brands chased influencers, we saw an opportunity in hip-hop’s deep connection to snapback culture — where headwear transcended function to become a canvas for self-expression. We sought to authentically integrate the watch brand with local artists while leveraging the snapback’s rich history for brand awareness. Market analysis highlighted the cultural significance of snapback fashion in cities like New York, Los Angeles, London, Brussels, and Stockholm. We zeroed in on cities where snapback and hip-hop culture have evolved uniquely through local artists: New York’s neighborhood pride, Los Angeles’ cross-cultural fusion, London’s rap battle scene, Brussels’ multilingual hip-hop movement, and Stockholm’s genre-blending creative community.
My Approach
My process began with stakeholder interviews and market analysis across five cities to understand hip-hop culture dynamics. Through community-centered strategy, I repositioned the brand from luxury marketing to cultural integration. I directed visual storytelling and art direction, creating design systems integrating timepieces into artist narratives.
I started by diving into each city’s hip-hop scene, connecting with local artists and understanding how snapback culture evolved from practical headwear to creative identity. Each city had its own story: New York’s neighborhood pride, LA’s universal style, London’s rap battle scene, Brussels’ multilingual movement, and Stockholm’s genre-blending community.
This research revealed a key insight: young consumers want authentic cultural connections, not traditional luxury marketing. While other watch brands focused on aspiration, our audience craved genuine engagement with underground artists.
The breakthrough came when we analyzed successful collaborations and found unscripted content generated 92% higher engagement than polished campaigns. This shaped our core strategy: let artists naturally integrate timepieces into their creative work instead of forcing brand messages. We empowered local voices while building a cohesive global story around creative freedom.
Our strategy aimed to celebrate individuality through community engagement, grassroots collaboration, and the creation of customizable fashion accessories. Our rollout followed a four-month sequence starting in October 2017:
- Phase 1 (October): Cultural mapping in each city, identifying authentic voices, and understanding local dynamics.
- Phase 2 (November): Established artist relationships organically, focusing on creators naturally aligning with our brand values.
- Phase 3 (December): Let artists create unscripted content, capturing genuine moments of creative expression with our timepieces through photoshoots.
- Phase 4 (February 2018): Launch across all cities with synchronized activations, integrating sales channels while maintaining community engagement.
Concepts and Features
Material exploration focused on premium athletic silicone for the bands, providing comfort, durability, and flexibility.
Design Interventions
We flipped the script and let artists tell our story instead. We collaborated with them on photo shoots that showcased both the watches and their unique creative style. Each artist brought their own perspective and naturally worked the Snapback watches into what they were already doing. Instead of forcing our brand message, we celebrated what made each artist unique and let the watches become part of their creative stories, each bringing their unique perspective.
Lifestyle videos captured through authentic street style and urban scenery, and product showcase.
Concept to Consumer
From early sketches to marketing, refined features, packaging, and real users showcase product design.
Concept Design
The team created sketches exploring watch face designs, band configurations, and component interchangeability methods. The design evolved into a system where every element, face, band, and hardware can be swapped using simple pop-up spring pins. The watch maintains a sleek aesthetic while incorporating the unique snapback mechanism, shifting focus from face to band for a distinctive visual identity. The final product features six watch faces, twelve band colors, and interchangeable loops and accents for extensive personalization.
Artist Network Growth
From organic partnerships and community referrals across five cities during a four-month campaign
Conversion Rate
Instagram-to-website purchase completion on Luku Watches website.
Impact
The success of this campaign is a direct result of a community-driven and grassroots approach that shifted the Luku brand’s relationship with target audiences, moving beyond transactional interactions to meaningful cultural participation. The campaign’s success established an authentic brand storytelling that influenced partnerships, demonstrating how grassroots collaboration could achieve greater engagement than traditional marketing. Partnerships with artist networks created ongoing content opportunities that elevated brand awareness and drove sales across all channels.
Next Steps
- Expand the artist partnership program to additional cities in the US.
- Develop limited edition timepiece collaborations with featured campaign artists and implement artist-designed watch face customization options based on campaign feedback.
- Launch an artist residency program that provides creative spaces and brand partnership opportunities.
