Work / Case study 02
Shinola’s J Dilla watches sold out in two hours.
Shinola launched. Two hours later, the collection was gone. They called it the fastest-selling timepiece in company history.
- Client
- Shinola
- My role
- Created the social ad and the organic reach strategy behind it
- Produced with
- The RAW Detroit crew
- Scope
- Campaign creative, distribution
- Channels
- Instagram, Facebook, TikTok
The problem
Shinola had two limited-edition watches inspired by J Dilla’s life and work. A limited release gets one day to land. The story had to reach Detroiters who cared about more than the watch, and it had to reach them on launch day.
What I did
I made the social ad and built the organic reach plan behind it. The brief was simple: make a Detroit story people would want to pass along, so the work could travel without needing a media budget.
The idea
We led with Dilla and Detroit, not a product shot. The campaign used an editorial voice because that is how RAW’s audience already hears from us. It had to feel worth sharing before it asked anyone to buy.
The result
The campaign ran across RAW’s channels on launch day. The collection sold out in two hours.
“The fastest selling timepiece in company history. We’d love to find more ways to work together in the future.”
| Time to sell out | 2 hours |
|---|---|
| Views | 72K |
| Engagements | 4K+ |
Source: 2026 RAW Detroit media kit.