COMPETITIVE OVERVIEW
6/30/14

6/30/14

Tagline
• Designer shoes. Warehouse Prices.
Messaging:
• “Finding the perfect shoe for the perfect price.” DSW focuses on providing a variety of shoes for an affordable price at the consumer’s convenience.
Target:
Audience targeted by behavior. Kelly Cook, Senior Vice President of marketing, breaks consumers into 10 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
• shoe fanatics
DSW conveys the concept that the everyday person can be a fashionista at an affordable price. A person can live luxuriously and stylishly on a budget.

Imagery:
• Logo is clean, simple, and elegant
•
Inspirational quotes promoting strong women
•
Creative promotional/sale ads
•
Trendy creative cultural pictures
• Relatable employee pictures
• Influencer contest ads
Video:
• DSW Getaway Style: Travel styles. City, Festival, Beach,
Adventure
•
DSW Spring Trends: Leopard, Oxfords, Boho, Dapper, Rocker
Chick, Simple Guy, Metallic, Accessories, Sneakers, Casual Cool
•
Commercial Closer Looks
•
High level of production. 15-30 second videos
Overall, videos and images feature everyday people who are also living glamorous lives through fashion. They are living an expensive lifestyle for less. The main creative themes are relatable, yet trendy, and inspirational.

Themes:
• Luxurious living for less
• Stylish & trendy at an affordable price
Tone:
• Relatable, Attainable, Inspirational, Trendy
DSW core values:
• Passion, Accountability, Humility, Collaboration
The brand image drives the message of being passionate, confident and strong by being able to afford high-end, trendy shoes on a budget. The tone inspires a motivation to achieve the days goals.

Facebook
• 2,470,772 likes, high engagement, frequent posting everyday
Twitter
• 65,300 followers, high engagement, frequent posting everyday
Instagram
• 25,857 followers, high engagement, frequent posting everyday
Blog
• N/A, high engagement, frequent posting everyday
Pinterest
• 20,688 followers, medium engagement, consistent posting most weeks
Wanelo
• 299,100 followers, medium engagement, consistent posting most weeks
YouTube
• 645 subscribers, low engagement, inconsistent posting by month
DSW has more followers on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram than its competitors. They are also very active on their blog, targeting a main audience composed of women in their 20’s.

DSW Shoe Hookup Summer Lovin ’ Contest
• Incentive: In order to engage Pinterest users, drive traffic to the
DSW blog, and drive sales of the new summer shoe lines, the company collaborated with well-known fashion bloggers to give away gift cards and show their own DSW purchases.
• Procedure: Fashion bloggers promoting “essential summer looks” to Pinterest. Giveaway contest where each blogger choses a follower to receive a $250 DSW Bonus Card.
• Medium: Blog
• Launch Date: May 12, 2014
• Influencers: Fashion bloggers: Fash Boulevard, Cara Lauren,
Eye4Style, Fashion Indie, Gala Darling, Jimmy Choos & Tennis
Shoes, Let it be beautiful, Living in Color Print, Merrick’s Art,
Barefoot Blonde, Modly Chic, Oh So Glam, Sandy a la Mode,
Shop Sweet Things, The Fashion Poet, The Fashionista Next
Door, This Time Tomorrow, To The Motherhood.

Free Shoesday Tuesday
• Incentive: Engaging Facebook followers by spreading information about the company while at the same time driving sales by promoting their products.
• Procedure: “Shoe Lovers” (DSW Facebook followers) who submit the right answer to a DSW related trivia questions receive a chance to win a $50 DSW Bonus Card.
• Medium: Facebook
• Launch Date: August 2011
• Influencers: N/A

Last seen Apr 25, 2014 theonion.com
Last seen Oct 21, 2013 accesshollywood.com
Banner ads target a variety of audiences through product promotion.
Some feature athletic shoes, men's shoes, or high-end women's shoes.
Last seen Sep 25, 2013 denver.cbslocal.com

Consistency:
• Consistent brand messaging across all platforms
• Integrated brand messaging across platforms
• Integrated campaign promotions across platforms
DSW does a great job and is a good example of consistency of brand messaging cross-platform. The company maintains posting consistency among all platforms except YouTube. It integrates campaign promotion cross-platform as well.

Strengths
• Collaborations with well-known fashion bloggers
• More followers on social platforms than competitors- high levels of reach
• Reaches a main target audience of female millennial’s on social platforms
• Active on Pinterest
Weaknesses
• No Google+ page
• YouTube page is ignored
• Can not buy kids shoes in-store, only online
• Focused on targeting women through social media- narrowing sales
Opportunities
• DSW Mobile App
• Create Google+ Page
• YouTube playlists or mini series with shoe designers
• Partner with existing fashion apps like Poshmark or The Hunt
• Partner with YouTube beauty gurus for giveaways
Threats
• Companies with wider range of audience on social media- more male or athlete followers
• Existing fashion apps
• Designer brands with affordable lines and a large presence on social media ie. Steve Madden