• Ad Age, Friday, April 25, 2008 11 AM

Optimedia U.S. has snared media buying and planning duties for Collective Brands' Payless Shoe Source and Stride Rite, units. The Publicis unit will get the company's $90 million U.S. media business and be responsible for both the general and Hispanic markets, along with the Canadian market for Payless. It will also handle Stride Rite brands like Keds, Saucony and Sperry Top-Sider.

Optimedia beat Omnicom Group's PHD and a division of Publicis sibling Starcom MediaVest Group to get the work. Incumbent Mediaedge:cia, resigned the account because the WPP-owned shop was "unable to reach acceptable financial terms" with the client, according to a spokeswoman said. Still, Mediaedge:cia's Bravo unit managed to retain media-buying and planning for Payless in Puerto Rico.
Optimedia was tapped due to "superior insights in our current and potential customers, strategic capabilities and creative ideas for media delivery," says Matt Rubel, CEO of Collective Brands.

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