Designer Shoe Warehouse, Inc. (DSW) Essays - DSW, Inc., DSW

Designer Shoe Warehouse, Inc. (DSW) Essays - DSW, Inc., DSW Company Overview A look into the background of Designer Shoe Warehouse Page 3 Target Audience Who are we targeting with this campaign? Page 11 Strategy Statement How are we going to speak to the target audience? Page 13 Designer Shoe Warehouse Kaitlyn Reeves IMC 615: Creative Strategy 2. 2 Table of Contents Company Overview.............................................................................................. 3 SWOT Analysis.................................................................................................... 7 Target Audience.................................................................................................. 11 Strategy Statement..............................................................................................13 Creative Brief (Print).......................................................................................... 14 Print Executions................................................................................................. 15 Creative Brief (Other)......................................................................................... 21 TV, Radio, & Internet Executions....................................................................... 22 Creative Brief (Non-traditional).......................... ................................................. 25 Non-traditional Executions................................................................................. 26 Digital Components............................................................................................ 30 References......................................................................................................... 35 3. 3 Company Overview Designer Shoe Warehouse, Inc. (DSW) is a national retailer of brand name and designer footwear and accessories for men, women, and children. Currently, DSW has 366 stores throughout 41 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Their core mission focuses on variety, price, and ease of shopping, specifically: To create a distinctive shopping experience that satisfies both the rational and emotional shopping needs of our DSW customers by offering them a vast, exciting assortment of in-season styles combined with the convenience and value they desire. (Investor Information, n.d.) Founded in 1969, under the name of Shonac Corporation, a joint venture between two families, the Schottensteins and the Nachts, the companys initial purpose was to manage the shoe departments in other retail stores, which it did for more than 20 years (DSW, Inc., n.d.). It wasnt until 1991 that the first store was opened under the DSW name. The first store was located in Dublin, O hio, just outside of Columbus, and soon expanded into the Midwest and Northeast (DSW, Inc., n.d.). A typical DSW store averages 22,000 square feet and boasts nearly 24,000 pairs of shoes (Investor Information, n.d.). What made DSW stand out from other discount warehouse shoe retailers was the product offering: rather than mass-marketed shoe brands, DSW offered designer-brand shoes at a discount (DSW, Inc., n.d.). 4. 4 DSW employs several forms of media in order to communicate with its consumers. Besides traditional print and television advertisements, DSW has a strong presence in social media. DSW operates its Facebook page, where its members, who are affectionately termed Shoe Lovers, can discuss all things shoes, receive style updates, and even participate in contests to win free shoes. DSWs Twitter profile mirrors that of its Facebook counterpart, also offering style tips and the chance to win free shoes every Friday. E-commerce is an area in which the company excels. In August 2011, DSW began offering childrens shoes, which are exclusively available for purchase online. In addition to childrens shoes, DSW.com also offers customers a wider array of styles and sizes of footwear (SWOT Analysis, 2012, p. 7). Although DSW.com is already optimized for use on mobile devices, the company plans to launch its own mobile app in 2013 (Joe, 2012). A major marketing success for the company and its con sumers is the DSW Rewards program. DSW Rewards is a free loyalty program that allows members to earn points on every purchase, and once a certain number of points is reached, the customer receives a $10 rewards certificate in the mail. Currently the only way to receive certificates is via mail, so this could be something DSW can improve on. Rewards members also receive other perks, such as double points events, birthday certificates, and free shipping. The program has over 20 million members and DSW Rewards members account for 90% of transactions, therefore providing information on almost all of its customers. 5. 5 Speaking of customers, DSW segments its target audience by behavior, rather than demographics, allowing DSW to personalize its marketing communications. By breaking its customers into behavior groups, DSW is able to better decide what types of promotions and deals it sends, as well as the way it send those promotions. Kelly Cook, Senior Vice President of marketing for DSW, breaks consumers into ten categories: multi-category, loves the classics, fashion- focused, classic deal-seekers, fashion on a budget, man of the house, online shoppers, shopping bag fillers, return trippers, and shoe fanatics. For example, a woman from the multi-category group prefers not only shoes, but scarves and other accessories as well, so she would be sent promotions pertaining to all types of products. On the