Designer Brands advertising spend, FY2026

Designer Brands (DBI) reported $164M of advertising expense for the fiscal year ended Jan 31, 2026. That is 5.7% of revenue of $2.9B. Down 5.4% from FY2025.

Ad spend, FY2026
$164M
year ended Jan 31, 2026
Change vs prior year
-5.4%
vs FY2025
Share of revenue
5.7%
of $2.9B revenue
Rank by ad spend
#250
of 336 companies

Key facts

  • Ad spend is 2.3x its FY2016 level ($70.1M).
  • The highest year on file is FY2024 at $176M; FY2026 is 7% below it.
  • Largest increase +44.9% in FY2019; largest cut -5.4% in FY2026.
  • Ad spend has fallen 2 years in a row.
  • Ad spend is 5.7% of revenue, down from 5.9% in FY2021.
  • Designer Brands spends more on advertising than 26% of the 336 US-listed companies tracked. Its ad-to-revenue ratio is close to the median of 5.2%.

Ad spend by fiscal year

$0 $50M $100M $150M $200M FY2010 (ended 2010-01-30): $42.2M FY2011 (ended 2011-01-29): $46.5M 2011 FY2012 (ended 2012-01-28): $50.9M FY2013 (ended 2013-02-02): $55.9M FY2014 (ended 2014-02-01): $56.2M 2014 FY2015 (ended 2015-01-31): $59.9M FY2016 (ended 2016-01-30): $70.1M FY2017 (ended 2017-01-28): $76.7M 2017 FY2018 (ended 2018-02-03): $83.8M FY2019 (ended 2019-02-02): $121M FY2020 (ended 2020-02-01): $124M 2020 FY2021 (ended 2021-01-30): $132M FY2022 (ended 2022-01-29): $163M FY2023 (ended 2023-01-28): $167M 2023 FY2024 (ended 2024-02-03): $176M FY2025 (ended 2025-02-01): $173M FY2026 (ended 2026-01-31): $164M 2026 $164M

Ad spend as % of revenue

0% 2% 4% 6% FY2010 (ended 2010-01-30): n/a FY2011 (ended 2011-01-29): n/a 2011 FY2012 (ended 2012-01-28): n/a FY2013 (ended 2013-02-02): n/a FY2014 (ended 2014-02-01): n/a 2014 FY2015 (ended 2015-01-31): n/a FY2016 (ended 2016-01-30): n/a FY2017 (ended 2017-01-28): 2.8% 2017 FY2018 (ended 2018-02-03): 3.0% FY2019 (ended 2019-02-02): 3.8% FY2020 (ended 2020-02-01): 3.5% 2020 FY2021 (ended 2021-01-30): 5.9% FY2022 (ended 2022-01-29): 5.1% FY2023 (ended 2023-01-28): 5.0% 2023 FY2024 (ended 2024-02-03): 5.7% FY2025 (ended 2025-02-01): 5.7% FY2026 (ended 2026-01-31): 5.7% 2026 5.7%

History

Download CSV
Fiscal year Period end Ad spend YoY Revenue Ad / revenue Tag Filing
FY2026 Jan 31, 2026 $164M -5.4% $2.9B 5.7% MarketingExpense 10-K Mar 30, 2026
FY2025 Feb 1, 2025 $173M -1.9% $3B 5.7% MarketingExpense 10-K Mar 30, 2026
FY2024 Feb 3, 2024 $176M +5.6% $3.1B 5.7% MarketingExpense 10-K Mar 30, 2026
FY2023 Jan 28, 2023 $167M +2.5% $3.3B 5.0% MarketingExpense 10-K Mar 24, 2025
FY2022 Jan 29, 2022 $163M +23.8% $3.2B 5.1% MarketingExpense 10-K Mar 25, 2024
FY2021 Jan 30, 2021 $132M +6.3% $2.2B 5.9% MarketingExpense 10-K Mar 16, 2023
FY2020 Feb 1, 2020 $124M +2.1% $3.5B 3.5% MarketingExpense 10-K Mar 21, 2022
FY2019 Feb 2, 2019 $121M +44.9% $3.2B 3.8% MarketingExpense 10-K Mar 22, 2021
FY2018 Feb 3, 2018 $83.8M +9.3% $2.8B 3.0% MarketingExpense 10-K May 1, 2020
FY2017 Jan 28, 2017 $76.7M +9.4% $2.7B 2.8% MarketingExpense 10-K Mar 26, 2019
FY2016 Jan 30, 2016 $70.1M +17.0% n/a n/a MarketingExpense 10-K Mar 23, 2018
FY2015 Jan 31, 2015 $59.9M +6.6% n/a n/a MarketingExpense 10-K Mar 23, 2017
FY2014 Feb 1, 2014 $56.2M +0.5% n/a n/a MarketingExpense 10-K Mar 24, 2016
FY2013 Feb 2, 2013 $55.9M +9.8% n/a n/a MarketingExpense 10-K Mar 26, 2015
FY2012 Jan 28, 2012 $50.9M +9.5% n/a n/a MarketingExpense 10-K Mar 27, 2014
FY2011 Jan 29, 2011 $46.5M +10.2% n/a n/a MarketingExpense 10-K Mar 28, 2013
FY2010 Jan 30, 2010 $42.2M n/a n/a n/a MarketingExpense 10-K Mar 27, 2012

What the figure is

Total marketing expense (XBRL tag MarketingExpense). It can include marketing staff costs, not only paid media.

Compared with similar spenders

The 6 companies closest to Designer Brands in latest-year ad spend.

Rank Company Ad spend Ad / revenue YoY Fiscal year
246 Zillow Group $165M 6.4% -5.7% FY2025
247 Rush Street Interactive $165M 14.5% +3.8% FY2025
248 Caleres $165M 6.0% +10.0% FY2026
249 New York Times $165M 5.8% +7.9% FY2025
250 Designer Brands $164M 5.7% -5.4% FY2026
251 Brinker International $164M 2.8% +11.6% FY2026
252 Mohawk Industries $164M 1.5% +13.8% FY2025

Full ranking of 336 companies · Biggest cuts #49

Questions

How much does Designer Brands spend on advertising?

Designer Brands spent $164M on advertising in fiscal 2026, the year ended Jan 31, 2026, according to its 10-K filed Mar 30, 2026.

What percentage of revenue does Designer Brands spend on advertising?

5.7% of revenue in fiscal 2026 ($164M of $2.9B). The median across the 336 companies tracked is 5.2%.

Is Designer Brands spending more on advertising?

No. Ad spend fell 5.4% in fiscal 2026 from fiscal 2025. It has fallen 2 years in a row.

How does Designer Brands rank by advertising spend?

#250 of 336 US-listed companies with $100M or more in ad spend, ranked on each company's latest fiscal year.

What does Designer Brands's advertising figure include?

Total marketing expense (XBRL tag MarketingExpense). It can include marketing staff costs, not only paid media.

Source

Filing
10-K for FY2026, filed Mar 30, 2026
Accession number
0001319947-26-000022
Company
Designer Brands Inc., CIK 1319947, SIC 5661 (Retail-Shoe Stores)
Data
SEC EDGAR XBRL company facts, retrieved Nov 4, 2026. Methodology.
Cite
Designer Brands advertising spend, FY2010-FY2026. Aleksei Trudov, io.trudov.com, from SEC EDGAR XBRL company facts (latest: 10-K filed Mar 30, 2026), retrieved Nov 4, 2026. https://io.trudov.com/company/designer-brands/advertising-spend/
Download
CSV, all years · CSV, all 336 companies