Helping heritage brands evolve their media mix

Caleres is the powerhouse behind beloved footwear brands like Sam Edelman, Allen Edmonds, Dr. Scholl’s Shoes, Naturalizer, and more. We first teamed up with the Sam Edelman brand in 2019 to revamp digital media and drive ecommerce. One win led to another—today, we manage paid media for 12 Caleres brands and 100K+ SKUs.

We built a retail strategy to drive performance across the entire Caleres portfolio, unlocking growth opportunities unique to each brand and audience. We turned touchpoints into growth points by mapping how media influences people at every stage—browsing, shopping, and buying.

Browsing Stage

Objective: build brand awareness for core products and third-party categories.

Role of Media: capitalize on high-impact placements and partnerships to reach and inspire consumers as they begin their shopping journey.

Channels: Direct Publisher Partnerships, Digital Video (CTV/Pre-Roll), Paid Social, OOH

Shopping Stage

Objective: drive engagement and consideration.

Role of Media: drive qualified users to the Sam Edelman site to learn more about styles and assortment.

Channels: Paid Social, Programmatic Display, Rich Media

Buying Stage

Objective: drive conversion and sales with both existing and opportunity audiences.

Role of Media: utilize advanced targeting to reach engaged and interested consumers who are near the point of purchase.

Channels: Affiliate, Paid Social, Paid Search, Dynamic Remarketing

Targeted approach to maximize brand impact
We identified high-potential shoppers for nine brands in the portfolio, since each brand attracts a different audience. For Sam Edelman, it’s the Fashion-Forward Female—style-driven and always online. For Naturalizer, the Confident Explorer—inspired by influencers, mixing high-low fashion, and shopping on her own terms. It’s all about reaching the right people, and right time, and with the right message for maximum impact.

We identified high-potential shoppers for nine brands in the portfolio, since each brand attracts a different audience. For Sam Edelman, it’s the Fashion-Forward Female—style-driven and always online. For Naturalizer, the Confident Explorer—inspired by influencers, mixing high-low fashion, and shopping on her own terms. It’s all about reaching the right people, and right time, and with the right message for maximum impact.

Our media plans engaged shoppers across multiple platforms and channels to turn those casual shoe shopping scrolls into serious sales. 

Programmatic drew new shoppers to the website, inspiring them to explore top categories and styles. 

Paid social kept pace with retail’s fast lane, highlighting seasonal drops, promotions, and collections.

Targeted search captured high-intent buyers, while affiliate partnerships built brand love. 

Online video and content partnerships deepened engagement, and custom collaborations with Hearst, Condé Nast, and WhoWhatWear expanded reach.

For Cyber Weekend, we leveled up top-performing Google Shopping campaigns to Performance Max—maximizing impact and driving results.