If you like taking pictures of your shoes, so what? No big deal. Personally I love taking shoefies and I’m not the only one because celebrities are on board with this popular Instagram trend too.
Likewise, shoe brands are capitalizing on the trend to connect with consumers and discover more user-generated content. Adidas recently worked with Wunderman to build relationships with youth in India whereby they encouraged shoppers to explore their communities in sneakers and document their travels. The campaign was a success and over 5,000 shofies were taken using the designated hashtags.
Last week I went to IKEA, which is one of my favourite stores, not to mention one of my favourite places to take pictures. I focused on documenting my retail adventure for my friends on Snapchat (it’s the millennial thing to do!), but I also wanted to share a couple snapshots on Instagram. I ran a quick experiment in which I compared the engagement of my Converse post to an interior shot with flowers. The shoefie won.
About a year ago, a Twitter employee who I follow retweeted a stranger’s post that said something to the effect of “stop posting photos of your shoes!” Somehow that stayed with me and made me reluctant to post more shoefies. Now that time has passed, I’m over it! I’m going to keep posting photos of my shoes unless engagement dramatically decreases. No one can stop me — it’s my personal account.
Instagram’s Eva Chen loves shoefies so much that she posts a series of them in cars to showcase her footwear, handbags and apples. If this trendsetter can pull it off, then you can too. If you like your shoes and want to post a photo on Instagram, then go for it. The way you curate your online persona is up to you. Whether you’re indoors or outdoors, snap a photo, add a filter and then share away. It shouldn’t matter if the shoes you wear cost $50 or $250; be proud of your personal style and flaunt it when you feel like it.
Follow me on Instagram (@hotonthestreet) for shoefies, concert photos and more!