Hush puppies in big image shift

The new image will add to USbased Hush Puppies' reputation of making comfortable footwear that uses highquality materials and has an easygoing style, director Bill Mirecki said yesterday.

The company plans to establish a 200squaremetre Hush Puppies Studio at CentralWorld with a relaxing and trendy atmos¬phere, remodel its stores and other sales outlets, launch new collections and create advertising that conveys the new image.

Hush Puppies has 80 shops and other sales points in Thailand. The business plan is part of Hush Puppies' global policy. In Asia, the com¬pany started launching the new image in the middle of last year in the Philippines, Hong Kong, China, Japan, South Korea and Indonesia.

The company hopes the effort will enable Hush Puppies to expand its customer base to younger customers. Current customers are largely aged 30 and up, but it is now targeting those in their early 20s and firstjobbers.

Meanwhile, in terms of shortterm financial expectations, the effort should help it achieve 25percent sales growth in Thailand this year. The overall Bt2.5billion premium footwear market is estimated to grow by only 10 per cent, said Mirecki. The company achieved 10percent sales growth during the first half, while the mar¬ket grew by just 5 per cent.

One of Hush Puppies' marketing efforts under the brandrefreshment drive is to launch five new collections, featuring new technologies and a trendy and colourful look. The new mod¬els - launched yesterday - comprise casual and business wear for both men and women.

Hush Puppies has also put in a major imagerevamp and sales effort in China, India, Brazil and Russia, which has helped drive global sales impressively.

Markets in AsiaPacific, Central America and South America have performed better than those in other regions. Globally, Hush Puppies sold 19 million pairs last year.To celebrate its 50th anniversary, Hush Puppies International has also arranged a glob¬al corporate social responsibility campaign, inviting its customers to donate used shoes of any brand (excluding sandals) at its shops. In return, local customers will receive a discount gift vouch¬er worth Bt500.

In Thailand, the campaign started yesterday and runs until the end of November. All donat¬ed shoes will be presented to the Thai Red Cross Society.Hush Puppies has allocated a special Bt10million budget for the campaign, while its marketing budget for other activities this year is Bt15 million.