12/07-05   -   Press releases

Underwired wins Start-rite shoes ECRM Task

Start-rite, the UK´s leading children´s shoes company, has appointed digital marketing agency Underwired (http://www.underwired.com) to create its first ECRM programme. The agency will work alongside Start-rite´s advertising agency, Mustoes.

The ECRM programme is designed to mirror the various milestones in the development of a child and will be implemented through Underwired’s own proprietary ECRM tool, Underwired*cc.

Start-rite’s ECRM programme aims to drive more traffic to its brand website and build stronger relationships with its customers. Relationship-building activity, such as email marketing, will give Start-rite quality customer information about children’s footwear needs and allow for the development of relevant and targeted communications. As a result, Start-rite’s customer base will receive tailored and meaningful information when it is most desired by individual parents. Ultimately, this will help to increase the volume of Start-rite’s response rates.

David Attwood, sales and marketing director for Start-rite, comments: ‘This campaign is a new direction for Start-rite and perfect for delivering advice to new parents who are hungry for information. We´re hoping for an increase in web traffic as a result.’

Planning for the ECRM programme is headed by Lazar Dzamic, head of planning at Underwired. Prior to joining the agency, he worked on strategies for Tesco´s online presence, along with developing web, email and ECRM projects for Mini, British Gas, the AA and National Savings.

Lazar Dzamic adds: ‘As a new parent myself, I can see that this programme this has a lot of emotional engagement - both for the client and recipients. Advice on how to protect vulnerable babies´ and toddlers’ feet is certainly something that can´t be pushed on to parents through mass commercial communications. Instead, the programme will focus on providing real and useful advice on choosing the best shoes for little ones. Start-rite is in a fortunate position as the lead brand in this market, as it is able to support its advice to parents with a range of outstanding products.’

Damian Horner, board account director on Start-rite at Mustoes, comments: ‘Start-rite cares about children´s feet, not just selling shoes. So this email campaign is a great development: it delivers valuable information into homes before kids even need shoes and really demonstrates Start-rite´s expertise.’

This is another win in Underwired´s growing ECRM portfolio, which includes Virgin Holidays and VSO. Underwired was established in 1996 and clients include Virgin Holidays, Friends Reunited, Penguin, JobCentrePlus, AAR, Institute of Cancer Research, SIA and charities VSO, National Missing Persons Helpline and NSPCC.

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About Underwired London-based digital agency Underwired was set up in 1996 by Felix Velarde and Jason Holland. Its clients include: VSO, National Missing Persons Helpline, NSPCC, Virgin Holidays, Start-rite, SIA, Penguin Books and Friends Reunited.