Brown Shoe Co., Inc. named Willie A. Smith to the position of senior vice president – marketing and has engaged creative and branding agency Campbell Mithun. Smith was most recently as chief marketing officer-athletics for Steve and Barry's, where he led the marketing and brand development for the Starbury(TM) (Stephon Marbury), EleVen(TM) (Venus Williams) and Big Ben(TM) (Ben Wallace) product lines.


 


Prior to that, Smith was with Liz Claiborne, Inc. in roles ranging from Group Vice President of Marketing in the retail realm to vice president of marketing for the company's outlet division. During his tenure, he drove multichannel growth of more than 11 fashion brands, using aggressive customer relationship management (CRM) strategies to build consumer loyalty and transactions. He also held senior level marketing positions with Footstar Athletic and Philip Morris USA, and has an extensive music marketing and promotions background with companies such as Blackground Records/Virgin Records, Atlantic Recording Corporation and EMI Records. 

 

Smith will be responsible for managing all marketing functions, and directing the strategic development of the Famous Footwear brand. 









 

At the same time, Minneapolis-based Campbell Mithun. The new agency will handle Famous Footwear's national advertising and consumer imagery, as well as contribute to various marketing and consumer relationship-building programs. Famous Footwear plans to enhance its effective reach and reinforce its positioning strategy against its core audience, while driving market awareness and purchase interest among customers. Campbell Mithun's client roster includes Burger King, H&R Block, General Mills, Inc. and Alberto Culver Company.

 


“Famous Footwear marketing — from store design to in-store displays — is driven by consumer feedback. We believe these additions to our team will foster an even stronger customer connection,” said Joe Wood, President of Brown Shoe Retail and Famous Footwear. “Will brings a proven track record of success in marketing footwear brands, and a keen understanding of the shoppers Famous Footwear serves. Likewise, Campbell Mithun excels at creating innovative campaigns that speak to consumers on an emotional level. With this new team in place, Famous Footwear will expand the reach of our communications campaigns and excite even more shoe enthusiasts to visit our stores.”