Product Marketing & Brand Partnerships Specialist

Brand: DSW
Req #: 140920 
Location Name: Home Office, Columbus 
Department: Marketing

General Summary: The Specialist, Product Marketing & Brand Partnerships is responsible for supporting the development and execution of our marketing plans and messaging associated with our product and key brand partner story-telling, ensuring the messaging comes to life effectively across all channels in a customer-centric manner.  This role will partner with merchants, creatives, channel leads, and brand partners to ensure the end-to-end processes are completed accurately, on-time, and effectively to meet the broader strategies & goals and elicit strong customer responses and business performance.

Reports to: Manager, Product Marketing & Brand Partnerships

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Facilitate meetings with the merchant teams to thoroughly understand seasonal assortment, brand, and product strategies in terms of volume, growth, and trend
• Develop those merchandise strategies into product positioning and messaging, including priorities, frequency, targeting and approach
• Facilitate the product alignment process to ensure all milestones & deadlines are completed on-time, all necessary product details, samples & images are inputted & maintained, and that the products selected by merchants align with the prioritized story-telling, influencing & challenging partners as needed
• Partner with the marketing leads including traffic, creative, CRM, and media to ensure all product & Brand photography needs are identified to meet broader marketing processes & deadlines, and then work with the photography team to coordinate the photo shoot, including shot needs, product samples, etc.
• Facilitate the weekly prioritization of brand & product messages with cross-functional partners to ensure the merchandise stories come to life and are prioritized appropriately by channel and the appropriate products are selected for associated messaging
• Ensure all creative captures the messaging, product, and all associated details in accordance with DSW and key brand partners’ expectations
• Partner with merchants to understand weekly product & Brand performance based on customer response, market insights, inventory availability, etc. and make mid-course corrections to brand & product messaging as needed to maximize potential opportunity
• Support in the development and execution of marketing plans for key strategic brand partners (including vendor-funded co-op), communicating with merchants and brand partners, managing the associated processes, and reporting out on performance
• Lead seasonal patterning and team discussion to influence future Product Marketing support
• Drive product recommendations for affiliate and influencer programs, merchandise events and specific Marketing channel requests

Required Skills: 

• • Ability to develop marketing plans in the retail space by leveraging and synthesizing various inputs (e.g. merchandise goals/results, broader business strategies/KPIs, customer insights & analytics, etc.)
  • Strong collaboration & communication skills as this role works with many cross-functional partners; must have the ability to build and cultivate relationships throughout the organization
  • Ability to communicate & present with confidence and rely on a fact-base of knowledge
  • Highly organized and extremely detailed-oriented, with strong multi-tasking skills to meet deadlines and follow-up as needed
  • Ability to work independently and self-start with minimal direction at times
  • High level of critical thinking ability and curiosity, with the ability to balance strategic big picture thinking with the day-to-day tactics
  • Approximately 50% of time will be spent in the office with the other time working remote

Experience:

• 3+ years of experience working in a Marketing function with a focus on merchandise & Brand marketing

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience engaging with cross-functional teams and building relationships for influence

• Retail experience preferred, background in footwear a plus

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing or related field