Designer Brands Inc.
The Project
Inspire worked with Designer Brands Inc. (Designer Brands), one of North America’s largest designers, producers and retailers of footwear and accessories, to change its name to reflect the company’s new strategic business model.
Inspire developed and implemented a comprehensive earned media strategy that included inviting and managing targeted national and trade media outlets to an unveiling announcement on Investor Day in New York City. Inspire secured interviews with business, investor and trade media with influential print, online and TV media outlets. To prepare senior leaders for these interviews, Inspire conducted a comprehensive half-day media training.
Inspire also worked directly with Designer Brands to plan a Facebook Live event to stream Investor Day. Immediately after the announcement was made and streamed live, Inspire ensured that Designer Brands’ social media channels were updated to reflect the new name and branding and that updates were posted announcing the news. Inspire continued to share updates throughout that day and in the coming days and weeks, including links to media coverage.
The Results
- Key business, investor and trade media attended the name announcement event that included Bloomberg, NPR (Marketplace), CNBC, The New York Times, Associated Press, CNN Money, MarketWatch, Footwear News and more.
- Inspire secured more than 894 million media impressions for Designer Brands in national, trade and local print, online and broadcast media outlets.
- Interviews with key media after the announcements included TV appearances by Designer Brands CEO, Roger Rawlins, on CNBC Market on Close and TD Ameritrade Network Morning Trade Live.
- The Facebook Live broadcast was viewed about 500 times on the Designer Brands’ Facebook page.
- On LinkedIn, the announcement post had approximately 27,000 impressions, 350 reactions, 950 clicks, 40 shares and a 4.97% engagement rate.
- The Facebook post from Designer Brands announcing the name change had 114 reactions and 55 shares; Instagram posts about it had 700+ likes and tweets had 1,800 impressions.