Dickies, the maker of workwear and other apparel and accessories, has tapped independent shop Creature, Seattle as its new lead creative shop. The work was previously handled by Omnicom Group's Goodby Silverstein & Partners.

The shift was initiated by Dickies Chief Marketing Officer Matthew McCartin, who arrived at the company eight months ago after spending time as director of advertising at Yum Brands in Louisville, Ky.

Mr. McCartin told Ad Age that he quietly held a review over the past few months, meeting with about 10 large and midsize shops. The company's measured-media spending is meager. According to Kantar, it has spent under $10 million for the past several years.

Asked if the review was driven by a desire to work with a smaller shop, Mr. McCartin said, "it's always nice to be a bigger fish in a smaller pond," but indicated that the review was driven by a desire to improve its approach toward retail marketing.