• by Tanya Gazdik , August 9, 2009

Choosing between shoes and ice cream might be a tough call for some women, since they are passionate about both.

Famous Footwear is focusing on that love affair in a viral video that debuted last week on the family footwear retailer's new Web site, MakeTodayUnexpected.com. The site incorporates a mix of interactive, digital and social media features as part of Make Today Famous, an open-ended campaign that launched in mid-July. In the video, neighbors swarm as an ice cream truck moves through tree-lined streets. Visitors to the truck find that the ice cream man is actually serving up shoes.

The campaign also incorporates display advertising, rich media, video-sharing sites, and social networking through outlets like Facebook and Twitter. The online experience includes an interactive quiz supported by Facebook Connect to help customers "find their flavor" with footwear brand selectors, offers and quick links to FamousFootwear.com, the company's e-commerce site.

"We plan to add more content in the coming seasons," says Erin Conroy, Famous Footwear spokesperson.

The Make Today Famous campaign features a significant social/digital media component that includes dedicated Web site MakeTodayFamous.com, online banner ads on various Web sites, a Facebook page, YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/Fam0usFootwear, with a zero in place of the "o" in the word "Famous"), Twitter handle (@Famous_Footwear) and viral video on MakeTodayUnexpected.com.

Oradell, N.J.-based Sigma Group, hired by the retailer after an extensive review earlier this year, created the digital aspects of the campaign. St. Louis-based Brown Shoe Co. Inc. is Famous Footwear's parent company.

Featuring the tagline "Make Today Famous," the back-to-school-oriented effort also includes national cable TV spots and radio spots in 47 major cities. It is the largest effort to date for the retailer, which has 1,100 stores.

The new Web site is intended to show consumers the playful and emotional side of the retailer, said Brown Shoe Senior Vice President-Retail Marketing Will Smith in a statement.

"From the time we spend talking to our customers we learned that some of them view shoe shopping as a decadent experience, like dessert," Smith says. "That feedback inspired the chocolate and cherry color scheme in our stores, and tells us that this video will resonate with our shoppers."