Publicis Groupe’s Optimedia US announced on Friday that it has won media buying and planning duties for Collective Brands’ Payless ShoeSource and Stride Rite units for Canada, the United States and Hispanic markets.

ZenithOptimedia’s team played ‘a big part of the North American pitch’ and is delighted by this win, agency president/CEO Sunni Boot tells MiC. ‘In fact,’ she adds, ‘a number of our ideas formulated with our Canadian media partners helped solidify our creative credentials.’

Optimedia ousted incumbent Mediaedge:cia (except for Puerto Rico) and beat out Omnicom’s PHD and Starcom Media Group’s Spark Communications for the account responsibilities, which include media planning and buying for Stride Rite brands including Stride Rite, Keds, Saucony and Sperry Top-Sider as well as Payless. According to TNS Media Intelligence, measured spending in the US alone for Payless last year was about $90 million.

Collective Brands CEO Matt Rubel stated that Optimedia won the account based on ‘superior insights in our current and potential customers, strategic capabilities and creative ideas for media delivery.’