JOHNSTON & MURPHY UNVEILS NEW LOOK WITH LATEST BRAND CAMPAIGN

Johnston & Murphy has launched a new image campaign titled “Not Your Dad’s Shoe Company.” Designed to reshape how customers think of the 174-year-old brand, the campaign highlights the company’s deep heritage while positioning the brand as more than a dress shoe company. The campaign is part of a strategic repositioning that leverages the brand’s rich legacy while modernizing to remain relevant and breakthrough in today’s landscape. Johnston & Murphy tapped creative agency Wolfgang to put a fresh lens on the brand that will resonate with an audience that values quality craftsmanship, classic style, and enduring value.

“Through recent consumer research we discovered a unique opportunity to shift perceptions about our brand,” said Johnston & Murphy SVP of Marketing and Ecommerce Jason Dasal. “We have made great strides in expanding our product offering into apparel and accessories, developing innovative comfort technology, and creating a product line that is relevant for today’s customer. With this campaign, we aim to solidify our position in the industry and inspire customers to see us from a fresh perspective.”

‘Not Your Dad’s Shoe Company’ emerges as a strategic pivot to broaden Johnston & Murphy’s appeal, aiming to refresh and expand its consumer base while maintaining its core clientele. With a confident and playful approach to the direction, the campaign features generation-spanning talent, representative of the brand’s own customer base, in old-world settings, creating a juxtaposition between old and new. The campaign features a new tagline, ‘Made for the Moment Since 1850,’ which harkens back to the American familial connection that many customers have to the brand while establishing a forward-thinking narrative for the important and celebratory moments in life. This thread will carry through in future campaigns.

“We have experienced unprecedented sales growth over the past several years and we know how important it is to invest in an outward expression of our brand that connects with the consumer in a meaningful way,” said Danny Ewoldsen, President of Johnston & Murphy. “Our intention for this campaign is to enlighten a broader audience on the ongoing evolution of our brand through a respectful but lighthearted approach to our heritage.”