JCPenney desires customers to rethink what they suppose they know in regards to the 123-year-old division retailer chain. To take action, the retailer is launching an formidable multistep advertising and marketing marketing campaign that may introduce a brand new model positioning that seeks to shock consumers with what its loyal clients already is aware of about its vary of choices and worth proposition.
These core clients are outnumbered by customers who’ve a wide range of emotions in regards to the model, from heat childhood nostalgia to extra impartial or unfavourable opinions. The corporate additionally desires to capitalize on renewed curiosity in buying malls amongst Gen Z. JCPenney’s problem, because it builds on its $1 billion turnaround plan, is getting folks to dispel any unfavourable preconceived notions they’ve in regards to the enterprise and attain an epiphany about what JCPenney presents, from vogue for the entire household to an in-store salon and past.
Marisa Thalberg, who joined JCPenney in October as consulting CMO earlier than turning into chief buyer and advertising and marketing officer at newly shaped mum or dad firm Catalyst Manufacturers in January, describes these epiphanies as “huh!” moments.
“I don’t know that I’ve ever distilled a complete advertising and marketing technique right into a single utterance, nevertheless it got here right down to one thing so common that after I was sharing with companions of ours from different components of the world, they perceive the language of ‘huh!’,” the chief mentioned.
Amid a ‘sea of sameness’
As the primary a part of its advertising and marketing push, JCPenney this week went nameless and let its vogue sensibility converse for itself. A sequence of out-of-home adverts in high-traffic areas like Occasions Sq. depict trendy appears to be like however with out overt labels. As a substitute, they characteristic copy studying “It’s from the place?” and QR codes that reveal the clothes is in actual fact from JCPenney, or within the phrases of the brand new model place, “Sure, JCPenney.”
The “Nameless Adverts” idea, which was created in partnership with new inventive company Mischief and executed by just lately appointed social company of file VaynerMedia, Dentsu X and FleishmanHillard, helped JCPenney deal with what Thalberg calls a “sea of sameness” in retail.
“We’re not going to [use] the identical previous retail advertising and marketing playbook,” Thalberg mentioned. “I wished to be recent, self conscious and acknowledge that … it’s time so that you can get within the know and cease sleeping on JCPenney.”
To construct on “Nameless Adverts,” JCPenney will start airing new TV spots that proceed the “Sure, JCPenney” dialog, displaying what occurs when customers see on-trend items at price range costs. In a 30-second business titled “Airplane,” a lady who bought a “$250 runway-ready matching set in a daring print for $72” isn’t solely shopping for the clothes, but in addition the envious, lingering look from a first-class passenger.
The same slow-motion assemble is utilized in 30-second spot “Ropa Vieja,” whereby a lady secures a “$300 chef-worthy Dutch oven in samba purple for $60” together with silent approval from her boyfriend’s mom. The adverts start airing April 12 throughout moments just like the NBA postseason and revolve round a “We’ve acquired the receipts” tagline.
“Folks suppose off-price [retail] is the place the offers are… We’ve acquired the offers, and we’ve acquired the receipts to show it,” Thalberg mentioned of the spots. “That’s actually what this entire new marketing campaign is supposed to raised articulate, and in a means that ought to make you are feeling good versus talked down [to] … you wish to really feel good for being savvy sufficient to know the place to get one thing.”
Massive offers, massive laughs
To raise the marketing campaign from insight-driven inventive to actual client worth, JCPenney may also deliver again its “Actually Massive Offers” marketing campaign for seven consecutive weeks this spring. “Actually Massive Offers” beforehand ran throughout Amazon’s “Thursday Evening Soccer” and helped JCPenney outperform visitors metrics throughout the second half, Thalberg mentioned.
Fairly than soccer video games, this spherical of offers will seem throughout episodes of “Jimmy Kimmel Reside!” as a part of what the retailer payments as a first-of-its-kind integration with the late evening present. Starting April 10, Kimmel sidekick Guillermo Rodriguez will reveal a brand new deal each Thursday for the marketing campaign’s run. Kimmelot and the Kimmel crew assisted on the hassle.
“We gave them inventive license, and naturally, that takes each confidence and a little bit bravery, however … I feel folks want a little bit snigger proper now,” Thalberg mentioned of the Kimmel partnership.
Offering each worth on the register and levity in popular culture moments may ingratiate JCPenney with customers who’re persevering with to really feel stress from a chaotic financial system and sociopolitical panorama. For Thalberg, as each head of client and advertising and marketing, honoring the retailer’s relationship with the shopper is essential.
“A few of these greater macros are daunting, and I might be remiss if I didn’t name them something however that, however on the identical time… we now have a possibility right here to actually be who we’re, which is to offer folks what they actually need and wish,” the chief defined. “This market is just going to exacerbate the necessity of that for customers, so we’re going to remain very, very humble and really, very agile, however hopefully that is the fitting option to be telling our story proper now.”
