Betts’ new campaign puts focus on fashion

FOOTWEAR retailer Betts (formerly Betts and Betts) will launch a new set of TV ads this week aimed at creating market awareness for its new ‘fashion’ retail focus.

The two 30-second commercials, developed by 303 Advertising, will screen on the three commercial networks during prime time at a “significant cost” according to Danny Breckler, managing director of Cecil Bros, Betts’ parent company.

“The significant difference is that these ads are aimed at building image and credibility and show that we have got the fashion-looks,” Mr Breckler said.

“We don’t refer to names and prices and it is not about event-driven promotions.”

The new retail and marketing strategy included a more consistent use of television, he said, and the new ads were very different from former television campaigns in that they communicated the company’s shift from a family shoe company to a fashion shoe outlet.

“Betts and Betts was a family shoe store that goes back 110 years and it is a model that served us well, but whilst it served us well strategically this new model was the correct model to take,” Mr Breckler said.

“We wanted to convert our image from [that of] a family store to a contemporary fashion store and there were a number of things we needed to do.”

These included the creation of a new business for its kids’ shoes, Betts Kids, and the refitting and renaming of the 90 Betts and Betts stores.

“We’ve just completely refurbished and modernised a third of them nationally and over the next year we will do another third and the year after another third, so it will take three years all up,” Mr Breckler said.

“In the interim, as of next week, all of our stores will have the new name.”

Each store refit costs in the vicinity of $200,000.

Mr Breckler said the company was now well placed to advertise its product range.

“The first thing was to create a contemporary fashion store and the second thing, from a marketing point of view, is to portray that to our customers,” he said.

“If we are going to be in the fashion update business we need to show our customers what we stand for.”

Instead of commercials advertising “a second pair half price”, the company will run fashion-driven ads to provoke its core fashion update 25 to 39-year-old market.

“It is a five-week campaign and we are supporting the TV with a series of magazine ads,” Mr Breckler said.

The new commercials were filmed at Burleigh Heads in Queensland and advertise the summer’s upcoming fashion. Fresh campaigns will be developed for new seasons.

“When you see the ads they are seasonal ads. The ones that 303 have shot are for the summer range and there are two, one for women’s fashion and the other for men’s,” Mr Breckler said.

“We will be using TV more consistently. It’s the quickest and most exciting way to portray the images.”

Cecil Bros’ newest shoe retail business, ZU, is expanding from five to nine stores over the next few weeks, including a flag-ship store at Pitt Street, Sydney.

“We will be using the glossy magazines over the months of September, October and November using the zoo theme of previous ads,” Mr Breckler said.