Its tagline is Highly Visual™. The ads weren't.
Before touching the ads, I went back to the brand: where it came from, what it stood for and who actually wears it. A motocross rider and a site worker don't have much in common, except that both take hits for what they do and get back up. That grit was the brand, and none of it was in the ads.
I built a mood board from brands that already own that attitude: Oakley, Vans, Volcom, Stüssy and Nike. The new direction took its cues from streetwear rather than eyewear catalogues: gothic textures, paint splashes and emotive cut-out photography. Heat Wave's Senior Marketing Manager backed it straight away. I rewrote the briefs for the next run of ads, and the direction went on to shape Heat Wave's new brand guidelines.
Engagement and click-through went up. Heat Wave signed on for another year.
