• by Larissa Faw , November 8, 2017

Women's retailer Chico's has named The&Partnership its creative and media agency of record after a two-month account review, the agency and client have confirmed.

The&Partnership will spearhead all aspects of Chico’s brand marketing and execute an integrated campaign to support the brand’s re-launch and broaden the customer base beyond current loyalists.

Media agency m/SIX, the full-service media agency within The&Partnership and backed by GroupM, will lead media planning and buying on the account.

The scope of work covers the firm's namesake brand only. The company also markets the White House | Black Market and Soma labels, which are not part of the assignment.

Chico's is addressing significant challenges as the retailer attempts to make itself more relevant to today's female buyers.

The company stated in its 2016 annual report that ad expenses for its last three fiscal years (2016, 2015 and 2014) were approximately $115.4 million, $159.9 million and $153.1 million, respectively. What portion of those dollars were earmarked for the flagship brand was not spelled out. 

Using its transactional data, the firm added: "Our brands continue to develop targeted and effective marketing strategies. We continue to optimize and shift advertising from traditional to digital media with a focus on attracting new customers and using predictive modeling and advanced segmentation to drive retention and reactivation."

The first creative work under this new relationship will be the launch of the spring/summer 2018 campaign and incorporate the agency’s full capabilities, including strategy, creative, media, data, PR, content creation and production, says Andrew Bailey, partner and chief executive officer, The&Partnership.

“The team at The&Partnership impressed us with their unique ideas, strategic thinking and collaborative approach," stated Shelagh Stoneham, senior vice president, marketing, Chico's. "They clearly understood our challenges and opportunities."