F ootwear retail is going through trying

times. Standing out in a highly satu-

rated marketplace remains a challenge,

and untangling how to compete in a digitally

focused shopping environment persists as a

point of concern for brands. But savvy labels,

retailers and companies are making their mark

via marketing boosts and strategies.

For example, Shoes of Prey — which o� ers

consumers the opportunity to design

custom-made shoes using the company’s

3-D designer — is one brand that

has new marketing schemes on its radar for

both B2B and B2C business.

“Like any good marketing plan, we layer

together a number of activities against the

customer journey,” said Jodie Fox, co-founder

and creative director.

She specifi ed that activities include

infl uencer marketing, PR, email campaigns,

promotions and paid advertising (like

AdWords and Facebook). Over the course of

the business, Fox added that Shoes of Prey

has tested opportunities ranging from pop-up

stores and guerilla activations to placements

on television, radio and print.

Austin Miller, director of product market-

ing at Oracle Marketing Cloud, also o� ered his

take on what footwear brands and retailers can

do to ensure an e� ective marketing presence.

“It is important for every retailer to

understand what strong and e� ective market-

ing means to them based on their specifi c

goals. Mere presence, getting eyeballs on your

marketing, shouldn’t be the goal in and of

itself,” he explained. “Getting your marketing

to the right eyeballs, with the right message —

and increasingly focusing on the right place —

is key. I emphasize that last point because what

we have found with our customers is that not

all places are created equal.”

He said consumers are more bombarded

than ever with marketing messages. “Market-

ers should focus on delivering marketing in the

moments when they have a customer’s captive

attention and drive them directly to the

desired behavior [converting],” he said.

“The best marketing in the world can be

overwhelmed easily by the sheer volume of

messages customers constantly get. When you

capture attention, you must take advantage.”

Heath Wells, CEO and co-founder of

NuOrder, a cloud and mobile B2B e-commerce

solution provider, added that labels and retail-

ers should keep in constant contact through

engagement marketing campaigns rather than

engaging with buyers only seasonally.

“This means brands need to run personalized

marketing campaigns to drive in-season sales

instead of sticking entirely to the traditional

pre-season model,” he said. “For example, brands

should send retailers personalized line sheets

with the best-performing products this season,

what’s quickly running out of stock or newly

back in stock, special promotions, etc., to drive

sales and help retailers capitalize on in-season

trends they didn’t see during pre-season.”

But trial and error — despite everything —

may also be key, suggested Shoes of Prey’s Fox.

If she had to create a motto for the brand’s

approach to marketing, she said it would be:

“Test, iterate, test.”

As traditional retail suffers from slumpingsales, marketing executives stress the power of personalized campaigns.

Why Messaging Matters:Tips for Engaging With Distracted Audiences

FN INSIGHTS: MARKETING

32

BY LAUREN OLSEN

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Shoes of Prey’s Jodie Foxuses many outreach strategies

“Like any good marketing plan, we layer together a

number of activities against the customer journey.”

— Jodie Fox, Shoes of Prey

33

What are the biggest trends in performance marketing?MAURA SMITH: “Video content (interactive content) and infl uencers. With advertisers’ growing demand for organic content, infl uencers are more important than ever to a strong digital strategy. Partnering with these content creators to generate videos or imagery lets brands tap into infl uencers’ engaged audiences. These collaborations get new eyes on their brand or products through messaging and imagery that is catered to the advertiser. Monetizing this content and rewarding infl uencers for the work that they do is a commitment Pepperjam is making so that we can continue to build partnerships and bring value.”

What do brands and retailers tend to overlook? MS: “One thing our footwear brands are focusing on this year is tapping into holidays and themes that they may have overlooked in the past. For example, research found that March is one of the top months to buy running sneakers. If March was historically a light promotional month for a brand, then this is something that needs to be assessed and examined. Additionally, Singles’ Day deserves its fair share of promotions. We’ve seen some amazing results in the footwear vertical over Singles’ Day, so focusing on promotions and creating a big holiday feel here can set the momentum for success throughout the rest of the holiday season.”

When it comes to footwear, how is performance marketing unique?MS: “Footwear is just one of those wardrobe mainstays that has become synonymous with style. Think of the fi rst thing you do when you meet someone. How long does it take before your eye strays down to check out what kind of kicks they’re wearing? It’s usually not long at all for me. This fact hasn’t been lost on marketers/publishers, and infl uencers are hitting footwear promotions hard with content that delivers on what will pull the lever for the consumer. And this is where performance marketing — a� liate marketing, specifi cally — really shines.”

Online shopping has made retail extremely competitive. What is your No. 1 tip for standing out?MS: “When it comes to standing out, a good top tip is to start where your ideal audience lives — your niche audience, that is. This means perhaps resisting the temptation of diving into places where a ton of nonqualifi ed tra� c lives, at the risk of avoiding where your target consumer is truly spending their time. When it comes to performance and building a loyal audience, remember that quality will always outperform quantity.”

ON DEMAND “Over the past couple of years, Sapphire has invested heavily in delivering industry-specifi c ERP solutions to small to midsize organizations across North America. Like most software providers, Sapphire has seen a notable shift in customers’ wishing to invest in cloud-oriented infrastructures. There remains the requirement and demand for on-premise products which impacts and shapes the way products are developed.”

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED “The approach that works best for us is our stance of shaping our marketing strategy around the industry challenges faced by our customers and prospects. Sapphire has spent signifi cant time researching and developing a set of personas tailored toward individual job roles found within apparel and footwear organizations — ranging from C-level executives, supply chain managers, buyers, designers and merchandisers. While this exercise requires constant fi ne-tuning, we feel it has been time

well-spent. Our ability to drill down into this level of granularity demonstrates that Sapphire has considerable domain expertise in the apparel and footwear sector. The industry expertise enables us to engineer and provide innovative software solutions to help our customers dramatically improve their current processes and reporting capabilities to help them beat the competition and increase their profi tability.”

EVOLUTION OVER TIME “It won’t come as any real surprise that digital channels have dominated Sapphire’s marketing mix. This has also had a direct knock-on e� ect in that customers and prospects have much more content at their disposal. This has resulted in a change in buyer behavior. Software providers have had to up their game by o� ering high-quality content as they compete for mindshare. While the digital world is well and truly upon us, traditional methods such as email marketing and events still have a role to play.”

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With the recent launch of our new recycled cork footbeds and footwear, we are focusing our marketing energy on connecting with the conscious consumer. We are proud to be revolutionizing the footwear industry and pioneering change by releasing our new footwear lines made with 100 percent recycled wine corks. We feel that video is key in the future of content and digital marketing, and this is also an area of which we are focusing new energy. When it comes to potential reach, video is peerless. YouTube receives more than 1 billion unique visitors every month — that’s more than any other channel, apart from Facebook.

MIKE BAKER, founder and

CEO of eco-focused footwear

brand Sole, describes how

his team is raising its visibility.

STRATEGY UNCORKED

ALL SYSTEMS GORichard Hudson, group marketing director at software solutions provider Sapphire Systems Inc., explains how his company positions itself.

Maura Smith, SVP of affiliate performance marketing firm Pepperjam, talks about the hottest trends for connecting with consumers.

Jam’s Pact

STRATEGY UNCORKED