While most of the attention surrounding Ron Johnson's downfall has been linked to his botched attempt to move from a high-low pricing strategy to every day low pricing, another critical factor that led to the struggles was Johnson's push to try to win with a younger, more fashion forward consumer that jcpenney traditionally never had much traction with. The push included discontinuing several of the retailer's own brands and revamping the marketing strategy to appear more cutting edge, by featuring young, slim models sporting fashion forward outfits. However, this move alienated some of jcp's loyal consumers, leaving many for them feeling that jcpenney was no longer a retailer for them.
While Ullman has only been back for a brief period, there's no doubt he recognizes this mis-step is actively working to win them back. He's moving quickly to turn around the ship, for example in the matter of 2 months he's apologize, brought back old brands, invited consumers back, thanked consumers for returning, and launched a new home goods department. It's ambitious, but the tone and approach for the most part has been right on target:
- He apologized to his consumers in a campaign called "Yours Truly" where the voiceover read:"It's no secret, recently jcpenney changed. Some changes you liked and some you didn't, but what matters from mistakes is what we learn. We learned a very simple thing, to listen to you. To hear what you need, to make your life more beautiful. Come back to jcpenney, we heard you. Now, we'd love to see you"
- He's brought back St John's Bay, a private label brand brought that use to account for over a billion dollars in annual sales. "We heard you. St. John's Bay is back! What will you snag first, pants or shirts?" the brand posted on Facebook
- He ran an advertisement reminding consumers of jcp's brands and inviting consumers back. Listen to the end of this ad "So come back to jcpenney and save on his favorite brands. We'd love to see you"
- He also ran an ad educating that jcp recognizes they screwed up, but has corrected itself and thanks consumers for returning (potentially a little bit premature)
- While he's moving forward with many elements of Ron Johnon's home goods department makeover, the execution is done in a way that is homy and connects authentically
However, a lot more work remains and there will no doubt be some awkward moments during the pivot back to the brand roots. For example, I just received jcpenney's father's day catalog and there are several inconsistencies that make it appear as if the cover was just slapped on at the last moment, including:
- The logo on the front is "jcpenney", where as everywhere else Ron Johnson's "jcp" in a box logo still appears
- The cover says "It's all about you, dad", however many of the models in the catalog (including the ones on the first page) look like they are maybe 20 years old and are wearing styles that are all very slim cut and too fashion forward to be for most of the fathers I know
- While Ullman has moved quickly to restore sales and discounts, the catalog takes that to the extreme. Every page is tattooed with several value message, from a $10 off coupon, sale prices highlighted in red vs. original prices, % off claims, buy one get one offers, and value pledges. The result is an overwhelming barrage of promotions that looks like a design agency translated a marketing brief too literally
It's an awkward execution and highlights the challenges brands face as they try to jump from one strategy to another quickly. While there is no doubt that Ullman has to move quickly, the brand is stuck in a transition period that is blurry will likely continue to confuse the consumer until jcpenney has the time to get its feet under itself and resources aligned to return to a consistent brand position and execution.
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