How DSW’s new model platform showcases the enjoyable of in-person procuring

Designer Shoe Warehouse (DSW) at present (Sept. 2) launched a brand new model positioning, “Let Us Surprise You,” per particulars shared with Marketing Dive. The effort celebrates the in-store expertise, because the retail chain conducts 70% of its enterprise in individual, and is a “conscious shift” cast after months of shopper segmentation, shop-alongs and analysis.

“We know that we have a fantastic transactional relationship with our consumers today, but we really wanted to move into the emotional space,” stated Kelly Ballou, vice chairman of brand name and inventive at DSW. “We saw a nice opportunity to bridge that gap between our stores and developing a richer experience for consumers.”

The positioning additionally permits the model, which has struggled in a tricky financial local weather, to reintroduce itself as a supply of pleasure for careworn shoppers. The model platform and related marketing campaign is the primary work produced in partnership with Crispin, which was appointed artistic company of report for DSW final fall.

“We knew that we were looking for someone who was going to help us really elevate our marketing and sharpen those points of differentiation, because the category is extremely crowded today, and we wanted someone who had the creative chops to help us do that,” Ballou stated of Crispin’s appointment. 

At the middle of the platform is a 60-second advert that brings the thrill of discovering and attempting on new footwear to life by means of a dance routine carried out by dancer and choreographer Sydney Moss and choreographed by Noelle Marsh. The spot was knowledgeable by conversations with shoppers who stated that attempting on footwear permits them to seek out pleasure in exploring totally different sides of themselves.

“When we first kicked off this partnership, we said that DSW was more than just a warehouse, it’s a whole playground. And we are seeing this come to life in the new brand platform strategy. It’s all about showcasing the joy, surprise, and fun of shopping in a DSW store, a feeling you won’t find at a primarily online retailer,” stated Maggie Malek, CEO of Crispin, in a press release.

Meeting shoppers the place they’re

The spot was produced in partnership with London Alley and directed by Courtney Phillips, and can air throughout related TV, over-the-top, YouTube and social media in varied lengths. DSW can be partnering with Hypebeast with a media purchase concentrating on a fashion-forward viewers, because the model sees a possibility to develop a cultural reference to shoppers.

“The ‘Let Us Surprise You’ platform is going to provide us that opportunity to say, ‘You may think you know DSW,’ but if you could just leave your assumptions at the door… we might have something in our assortment that surprises consumers [and] they also might find something surprising about themselves,” Ballou defined. 

New model platform components may even seem in retail areas, which have been offered a “vibey” playlist and a brand new cheerleading method for retailer associates. In addition, DSW could have a “try-on zone” in its newly transformed retailer in Framingham, Massachusetts that makes use of augmented actuality (AR) mirrors to indicate shoppers how they’ll type footwear with totally different garments.

“We saw that as an opportunity to create a testing lab for us,” Ballou stated. “That’s all meant to encourage exploration through footwear. We’re excited to see how that goes and then potentially scale that to the rest of the fleet.”

Despite DSW seeing its first optimistic comparative gross sales in 9 quarters on the tail finish of 2024, mother or father firm Designer Brands has struggled in 2025 amid a strained macroeconomic surroundings and depressed shopper sentiment. 

The model’s advertising and marketing overhaul is meant to assist the corporate get again on observe by maintaining earlier shoppers and attracting new ones. For DSW, that meant wanting into its 16-million-strong loyalty base and creating shopper segmentation analysis that was primarily based on habits as a substitute of demographics.

“The common truth that we found was that shoes, unlike other parts of a consumer’s wardrobe, allow them to express themselves and play with different facets of their personality, and that was as true for a 24 year old as it was for a 64 year old,” Ballou defined.

“The other thing that we heard is that everybody could use a little more joy in their life today, regardless of who you are, how you see the world or what age you are, so we’re trying to bring that all together and get it in front of consumers through the platform,” she added.