One year after Drydock Footwear Group and The Rockport Company joined forces to become The Rockport Group, Rockport, a leader in men’s and women’s footwear since 1971, on Wednesday launched a new global brand repositioning campaign, “Made for Movers.”
The brand revival campaign highlights the company’s shoemakers dedicated to the craft and focus on providing footwear for people on-the-go–the everyday mover−and promises a completely integrated and consistent customer experience.
The Rockport Group is home to the Aravon, Dunham, and Rockport brands and the popular Rockport Cobb Hill Collection. Products from The Rockport Group can be found in various retail channels in more than 60 countries worldwide.
Susan Dooley, Senior Vice President, Global Marketing, The Rockport Group told Loyalty360
that this marks a new era for the brand.
“Under new management and ownership, we’re renewing our commitment to innovation and craftsmanship,” Dooley explained. “The campaign launches alongside the arrival of the Fall 2016 line; the first product designed and developed by the new team here at Rockport. We expect our customers to have a completely integrated and consistent brand experience whether they are shopping online, in our company-owned stores, or in the thousands of retail accounts we partner with around the world.”
Rockport’s new look and attitude will be visible in all branded environments, including its company-owned retail stores, wholesale display program, showrooms, trade show booths and its future corporate headquarters based in Newton, Mass. What’s more, Rockport will unveil new packaging, advertising and a refreshed digital experience. Its new website and social media channels are now live and will continue to evolve in the coming months, sharing real stories of the movers behind the scene at Rockport and those in front of it, consumers moving in their everyday lives.
Dooley noted the digital aspect of the rebranding.
“It’s critical, which is why our company has significantly invested in an entirely new IT infrastructure, including a new ecommerce platform, which, of course, is responsive,” she said. “Additionally, we are partnering with several agencies to help us better analyze our consumers and expand our digital reach. Our brand covers a lot of ground. It’s worn by men and women, young and old, across 63 countries worldwide, for nearly every wearing occasion that you can imagine. This campaign gives us the opportunity to talk to these movers as a whole, but also is flexible enough for us to fine-tune our message to various consumer segments. On a macro level, consumer expectations have sky rocketed. They expect to have a relationship with their brand. Social engagement and superior consumer care are a high priority across the entire brand.”
Cultivating the corporate culture is one of the top initiatives for The Rockport Company.
“We’re kind of like the Brady Bunch,” Dooley said. “Two different companies coming together, getting to know one another, and figuring out how to make it all work. Ultimately, we have an incredible team here that is dedicated to the brand, each other, and the art of shoemaking. That said, our new media and community outreach approach will give consumers the opportunity to see Rockport from a ‘behind-the-scenes’ perspective. We will share employee profiles to give customers a peek inside the minds of some of our innovators and reveal aspects of our shoemaking craft through demonstrations and visuals.”
Dooley admitted that customer loyalty, in the past, was not a high priority for Rockport. But, that will change.
“We’re in a period of significant change right now as we continue to peel away from prior ownership (Adidas) and become a stand-alone company,” she explained. “Unfortunately, customer loyalty had not been a high priority and we lack transactional customer data. That will all change. Once our ERP system is live, we’ll move into CRM mode and then introduce a new loyalty program in 2017.”
Dooley is excited about the team that has been assembled to guide The Rockport Group in its new era.
“It’s a nice blend of the two companies that came together to form The Rockport Group under its new ownership,” she added. “Furthermore, we’ve added some incredible new talent and together we are ready to make our mark in the footwear industry.”