Since 2010 we have been advising and assisting Ludwig Görtz GmbH, one of Europe’s largest shoe retailers and one that is steeped in tradition as few others are. The focus of our work is the entire field of social media marketing. And that is quite a task in itself.
The task put to us in 2010 was, in brief, as follows: “Help us with our multichannel marketing in the social media and mobile domains.” Because these areas at that time lacked the sort of standards that apply in conventional or online marketing, the task, as further elaborated, was to conceive a comprehensive strategy for marketing through social media and mobile devices and to make it compatible with existing brand and communication norms.
The planning of social media activities involves such a broad array of considerations that intensive study of every aspect of communication associated with the brand as a whole is obligatory. It quickly becomes clear that a couple more or fewer “Like” clicks are of far less consequence than continuous brand management through every channel. For Görtz, therefore, we not only use platforms such as Facebook, Pinterest, or Google+, but also have the entire communication plan in mind at all times. Understanding it and developing actions, campaigns, and dialog marketing measures based on that understanding is a fine art. It is important that both the requirements of the brand and the needs of the groups targeted by Görtz be served to best advantage in the communication channel in question. From that perspective, a user asking where a size 38 BELMONDO Kitten Heel pump is to be had has roughly the same priority as gaining a new GÖRTZ Card customer or developing major brand cooperation. This multifaceted approach to communication is highly demanding, exciting, and endlessly challenging.
Görtz, a company established in Hamburg in 1875, has developed from traditional retailer to successful multichannel provider in keeping with its role as a European market leader in the premium quality segment for shoes and accessories. Görtz sells its “Collections for Personalities” with the help of some 3,700 employees in roughly 170 retail outlets. It is one of Europe’s largest shoe retailers and one that is steeped in tradition as few others are. Along with this concentration on its retail outlet business, Ludwig Görtz GmbH is advancing its multichannel strategy through broad use of online marketing channels. Currently in the spotlight is the online shop at www.goertz.de, which marked its 10-year anniversary in 2013. Görtz has been represented in the social media channels since 2009 with its own Facebook presence, which has some 70,000 fans to its credit as of 2014. Along with platform evolution and expansion of its performance marketing potential, the role of collateral or supporting measures to enhance the customer journey on Facebook has been increasing steadily in importance. Other channels, such as Google+, Pinterest, and blog marketing, complete Görtz’s social media portfolio.
“What can we achieve? How can we progress? How can we operate better in the market? If you’re looking for outstanding digital solutions for a particular challenge, talk to us about it. After all, you know that successful relationships always begin with the first conversation.”
