Case Study for Agency
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Case Study - DSW (Designer Shoe Warehouse)

The Challenge:
DSW gave the Agency two straightforward business goals
1. Significantly increase Brand Awareness
2. Increase comparative store sales by 4%

We needed
…to connect emotionally, giving the brand a voice and place in women’s
lives
…women to associate DSW with the satisfied rush they felt when buying
shoes
…women to think of DSW as the destination for this experience

The Strategy:
Portray female shoppers as honestly as possible – as the smart, shrewd,
bargain-hungry predators they truly are.

The Creative Solution:
DSW’s target audience was identified as women who love shoes and shoe
shopping. A simple proposition of solid brands at great prices should
have done the trick. However, in talking to these consumers,
accompanying them on shopping trips – and shopping ourselves – we
realized DSW’s unique in-store experience brought the offering to a
whole other level by revolutionizing how women shop for shoes.

DSW’s self-service environment gave control back to women, which they
loved. First, walking into DSW was like walking into shoe heaven –
aisles and aisles of stylish, brand-name shoes everywhere. Many women
described shopping at DSW as “their time” and an “escape” from their
hectic day-to-day lives.

Most ads that put the spotlight on women and shopping played into the
base stereotype of women as “shopaholics,” without exploring the
emotions, strategy, and preparation involved in the actual shopping
process.

The creative team clearly understood the power of DSW’s in-store
environment – and set out to differentiate DSW from the competition by
connecting to the true female shopping mindset (the powerful allure of
great shoes at great prices.) They reflected these insights in the
resulting advertising, focusing on everyday women – not models and not
stereotypes – in pursuit of their prey.

The Results:
• The campaign has been incredibly successful in achieving the
business goals
• Brand and Ad Awareness rose double digits eight weeks after
“The Hunt” launched
– Unaided Awareness jumped 36%
– Aided Awareness increased 35%
– Unaided Advertising Awareness more than doubled Wave 2, with
awareness of TV ads up 23 points from Benchmark (Roper Tracking)
• Hits to the website increased dramatically (DSW Proprietary)
• Since the campaign launched, comparative store sales increased
dramatically to 7% (DSW Proprietary)