Leo Burnett: Generation change at Walder Shoes

Leo Burnett convinced with a "deep understanding of the Walder brand as well as a fresh, creative implementation," says Daniel Walder, Managing Director and Head of Marketing & Sales. With a down-to-earth but modern positioning, the Walder shoes brand is now to be continued in what is already the 6th generation. Appearance and communication have become a little more modern and are thus better suited to the fashionable product range. However, the family business continues to focus on the traditional value of quality. Rolf Zimmermann, Managing Director of Leo Burnett, describes the direction of the brand positioning: "In contrast to the trend towards "faster, cheaper, discounts", Walder wants to continue on the path of tradition with good customer service, pleasure in the product and high-quality materials. Together, Daniel Walder and Rolf Zimmermann visited individual stores so that the Leo Burnett managers could gain a better understanding of the Walder brand. Now the new brand positioning is under the claim "Walder shoes. Joy that lasts." It is intended to embody values for which Walder Schuhe has stood for over 140 years: first-class quality and fashion, personal advice and professional service. And Walder intends to continue pursuing this strategy together with Leo Burnett for the years to come. For Axel Eckstein, ECD at Leo Burnett, "Joy that lasts" is a very viable idea in this regard. For stories that combine short fleeting moments of joy with those that last longer. Or as a way to talk about excellent customer service that goes beyond just buying shoes.

Joy in the implementation

As part of the brand positioning, both customer magazines for adults and children have also been completely redesigned. In addition to illustrations of the latest models from Walder, the magazine for adults impresses above all with lots of useful information about shoes. The current magazine, for example, distinguishes between six taste types, according to their shoe and glacé tastes. Employees and customers also have their say, and in addition to the first summer shoes, one article propagates barefoot walking with its statement: "Freedom for the feet! However, Walder's new brand identity is also particularly visible on site: the total of 29 Walder Schuhe or Walder Junior stores are given a completely new, fresh and modern look. And it's not just a few spring flowers on the sales counter that will ensure this. The rooms in all branches will be brighter - white instead of colored. This is intended to put the focus back on the shoes themselves. The new claim appears discreetly on a white background in every branch: "Walder Schuhe. Joy that lasts. The implementation of the new brand positioning at the POS was done in close cooperation with the production team and the technological capabilities of the Leo Burnett Factory. The newly found solution will now be implemented in the Walder stores on an ongoing basis.

From the new customer magazine for adults: article "Freedom for the feet" (left), six taste types according to their shoe and glacé taste (right).

Joy that lasts" is also practiced within the company. Daniel Walder has held various workshops with his employees. For him, the most important thing about the brand positioning is that all employees live the new positioning and express it in their daily contact with customers. All employees, right up to the Board of Directors, were informed in advance with an information package. In the coming months, the website developed by Leo Burnett and implemented together with the Update agency will also be online.

Ursina mason

Walder - The New Generation
 
Walder Schuhe wants to set an example for the future and has designed a new brand identity together with Leo Burnett. In an interview with Werbewoche, Daniel Walder explains how the process went, which business sectors Daniel Walder and his siblings now want to reposition, and where Walder Schuhe wants to go in concrete terms.

 
WW: A new generation took the reins in August. What does that mean for Walder Shoes?
In general, it is very important for Walder Schuhe that we focus on quality on the one hand, but also become more modern. On the one hand, we don't want to stand still, which you don't do with our shoes anyway, and do things differently than our predecessor generations. On the other hand, I don't want to say, "What our ancestors did, I and my sisters can do better." I think a mix of both is important. If you imagine a tree that is 140 years old - that's how old our family business currently is, and symbolically as a tree I see the history and development of Walder Schuhe: we don't want to chop off the roots, of course. They form the sustainable and strong sole of Walder, to put it in shoe world language. However, such a long-lived tree also has a large crown on which a great deal of care and design can be done. You should also see that a generation change is taking place at Walder, that we are tackling change.
 
At the end of the day, we're talking about a product that you wear on your feet and thus also expresses a degree of fashion expertise. What will change here in concrete terms?
With the new brand positioning, we aim to underline the value of the Walder Schuhe brand. That is the most important thing. We want to charge the brand more with value and quality, and at the same time become a little more modern. That should be the focus for our customers - and not primarily the price. We are in the mid-price segment, and this is where we want to stay: Not focused on discounts, but high quality; especially in customer service. For example, we offer every customer the opportunity to have the shoes he or she has bought impregnated for the first time. Discounts and price reductions, gifts and promotions are absolutely an argument at the moment, but this strategy is not necessarily sustainable. We continue to try to stand by and show what we can do. And that is to offer quality - the quality of our shoes and products and also the quality of the way we serve our customers.
 
Accordingly, Walder Schuhe commissioned Leo Burnett to design a completely new brand presence. How and with what did this agency convince you?
Leo Burnett has shown a deep understanding of the Walder brand with its brand positioning concept. For example, the agency supports our strategy that we will not do any online shipping in the medium term. It simply wouldn't fit with our concept of quality and high-level sales service if we suddenly shipped shoes online without the customer - especially the numerous children - being able to try them on first. At the same time, however, it is clear that consumers today do want to find out about the relevant offers online in advance. Our new website therefore offers the opportunity to find out about the latest models and to look up the store where the desired item can be picked up.
 
Brand positioning involves a lot of changes. Do you already know what the next steps will be?
We are still at the beginning, and it will probably be some time before the slogan "Joy that lasts" really takes hold. A lot of things are still in the making. Perhaps there will be a commercial alongside the poster campaign at some point. In any case, the work behind the brand positioning has been a lot of fun so far. I'm thrilled and so are my employees. You can tell that something is being created. Apart from that, however, there are also other marketing aspects. In Oerlikon, for example, we have had a completely different store design since last fall. Walder Schuhe's store design used to be very colorful, but now we're focusing more on the shoes again. And this is going down well, as the initial experience with the new design shows. That's why we will also be redesigning the other Walder stores accordingly over the next few years. In addition, we also want to fill the new claim "Joy that lasts" with new content for the fall. In keeping with the current spring season, we have chosen glacé as a symbol of "joy for the moment" and will also be offering this to our customers when they visit selected branches. In autumn, in keeping with the season and the footwear, another ephemeral joy will of course be staged.
 
Interview: Ursina Maurer