Hush Puppies has chosen Montreal-based Optimum Public Relations as its Canadian public relations agency.
The shoe brand, which previously handled Canadian PR internally, reached out to Optimum for assistance in developing campaigns to mark the 50th anniversary of Hush Puppies in 2008.
According to George Bicas, marketing manager for Hush Puppies Canada, the company investigated two other agencies last fall before deciding on Optimum, which is a division of Cossette Communications Group.
Bicas says Optimum’s national reach and Cossette connection gave the firm the upper hand over the local Montreal agencies it considered.
“We chose them because of their strength across Canada,” says Bicas. “There were some local ones we were interested in as well, but with the strength of the other offices across Canada, we chose the Cossette Group.”
Bicas says Optimum will help develop events and in-store programs with Hush Puppies and its retail partners to promote the brand’s 50th anniversary and its spring and fall 2008 collections. He cites the company’s charitable programs, such as the collection of new and slightly used shoes for distribution to Canadians in need and initiatives to support the SPCA, among the public relations possibilities for the coming year.
The company’s marketing plan will also highlight shoe and boot lines created by celebrity designers Phillip Bloch and Rachel Fanconi. In addition to public relations, Hush Puppies will also launch print and direct mail advertising campaigns in the coming months.
Bicas says the relationship with Optimum Public Relations could extend beyond 2008. 
