Sunday, May 6, 2012

Has JCP found its groove?

I admire the latest campaign by JCP (JC Penney for the rest of us), I really do:


  • It is courageous: a million other stores like Sear's, Kmart, Kohls and others, still believe in the two basic pillars of American catalog retailing: schlock and discounts. The new JCP does away with both in a single, clean swoop
  • It works! My wife and I haven't been to a JCP store in maybe 2 years. The last time, really, about 2 years ago, I bought a pair of Nike shoes because it was the only place where I could find 8E. But... that's it. Yet, I buy a huge amount of T-shirts and running shorts at Target, which is essentially the same price point. It just never occured to either of us to set foot in a JCP Store. Today, after looking at the catalog, my wife all of a sudden said she would definitely go next time we are in Dadeland. So the campaign took her from a decidedly negative attitude to a decidedly positive attitude in a bit less than 2 months.
  • And it engages: the main attractions of the catalog --and my wife read the entire thing cover to cover-- are the stories of real people.
  • Personally, I like the switch to clean bold graphics, clean bold photographs and the decidedly different square logo.
  • It can work in any media: I've already seen the TV spots, of course, and while I find them a bit too close to the Target ones for comfort, at least they are engaging and make me look. My wife even commented "Wow... did they just redo Penney?" and now notices most of them.
All in all, a welcome change from the usual schlock we see in retail and I'm very glad quality is working. A blow against naysayers everywhere.








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