Converse in association with NH7 kicked off ‘The Road to Rubber Tracks’, a multi-city activation at blueFROG, Mumbai on 21^st March. The month long activation will see a host of fresh new musical talent fight it out to earn a trip to record at the Converse Rubber Tracks in Brooklyn, New York.



The first stop on the Road to Rubber Tracks in Mumbai saw a fair attendance from the intended audience of college-goers and young professionals. The music was well complimented by some stunning branded-visuals created by the Mumbai-based visual artists - Wolves.



Rohit ‘P-Man’ Pereira, bassist, Shaair+Funk has been signed on as ambassador. He will be travelling to a host of music events around the country shortlisting bands that will go on to play at the regional leg of the activation. After regional gigs in Bangalore, New Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Mumbai, city winners, who are picked by a triumvirate of online votes,Rohit Pereira and NH7, will then travel to Mumbai for a pop-up recording studio experience, music workshops and the final decisive gig.



KainazTurel, Senior Manager – Marketing at Converse spoke to EE about the activity.



Why did Converse opt for an experiential campaign over a more traditional approach? 



Converse as a brand has always been very closely associated with music. ‘Road to Converse Rubber Tracks in India’ stems out of the brand’s desire to give back to the music community by making the platform accessible to as many young, deserving musicians to express their creativity. The process of using a band hunter as well as public voting to select bands for the Elimination Rounds allows for a more personal interaction with both the bands as well as their fans.



What prompted Converse to introduce the Rubber Tracks property in India now?  



Since 2011, when Converse Rubber Tracks, Brooklyn, came into existence, the Rubber Tracks project has been happening across the world, including Austin, LA, Beijing, Amsterdam and many more. This year we thought we would bring this project to India and help our youth unleash their creativity.



One of the standouts at the Mumbai gig was Rohit ‘P-Man’ Pereira and his energy. How did you zero in on him? 



Rohit ‘P-Man’ Pereira was selected as the band hunter for Road to Converse Rubber Tracks because he has been a part of the Indian Independent Music Industry for years now, and consequently has a great understanding of the industry, as well as knowledge of where exactly to look for talent.



Take a look at the Road to the Rubber Tracks India promo here.