retail

JC Penney's Light-Hearted Holiday Look


 

Every year, retailers face an almost-impossible challenge: create holiday ad campaigns traditional enough to feel friendly and familiar, but different enough to get noticed. JC Penney is doubling its breakthrough chances with two campaigns this year. First, a light-hearted campaign starring comedian Melissa ("Saturday Night Live") Villaseñor as "Penny James," accompanied by "The Shopettes," will highlight the retailer's best deals. And a second campaign taps the traditional with social-media realism, starring several families singing a holiday greeting card.

Carl Byrd, vice president of creative and brand synergy, explains what the retailer hopes to accomplish with both campaigns.

Marketing Daily: Why two campaigns?

Carl Byrd: We knew we'd bring back "Joy. Comfort. Peace." For a third year. But we did it a little differently, asking ourselves some different questions: How will we help diverse working American families get the most out of their holiday? More joy? More value? We want our customers to feel like we've their back this holiday.

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With the first campaign, we brought back the Penny James character we debuted in the spring. She is this optimistic embodiment of the ultimate JC Penney customer. She loves to shop. And while Black Friday is a tough period to cut through, we thought taking her to the next level would work.

We created the Shopettes, a backup band for her. And an original jingle, which is not always easy. It's fun -- they pop up all over the store, happy and enthusiastic. She says cute things, like, "These towels are to dry for." And everything they're wearing­ -- even those sparkly dresses -- is from JC Penney.

For that campaign, the approach is about making the best of Melissa. She's great at improv and brings a lot of character and personality.

Marketing Daily: How did the second campaign come together?

Byrd: We've cast six influencer families to sing our "Joy. Comfort. Peace." jingle. Some of them are singers, and some aren't -- but they're all real families, singing it together. And that's the charm of it. Again, it brings out our spirit of optimism, of helping families come together. I

It's kind of like a holiday card. Despite the economy, and whether they spend a little this holiday or a lot, that's what everyone wants to feel. And these will run all through December.

Marketing Daily: There's been plenty written about inflation and consumer worries making Black Friday less relevant. What is the customers' mood?

Byrd: We saw some good things in October. And we offer plenty besides gifting -- people are still looking to dress up for parties this season. But like everyone else, we're offering deals all month long and keep adding to the value, making it compelling. Those deals are in stores and on our site right in front of you.

Marketing Daily: How has your media strategy changed this season?

Byrd: Denstu is our new media agency. And we looked at linear television, which is still viable and important for us. But we looked at where it worked the best for us, combined with digital video, where we are always on. We've got a good mix of media, so our creative is getting out there in multiple ways. We're connecting with customers daily -- emails, Facebook, YouTube -- constantly looking at that mix.

Marketing Daily: You created both campaigns in-house. Why not work with a creative agency?

Byrd: I joined JC Penney about a year ago, and I'm leading our internal creative agency with more than 100 people. They do great work, and we all live with the brand every day. They're responsible for all the innovation and design and aesthetic.

Marketing Daily: Is that weird for you? You've worked at ad agencies in the past.

Byrd: No. I started at the Gap, working on in-house created commercials back in the '90s. And I've had my own agency and worked at other agencies. I've seen both sides. So I'm a big proponent of in-house work. I like the cross-functional partnership and the scrappiness of it all. Especially here, where we came out of bankruptcy a few years ago and have this amazing group of merchants and marketers. We know our brand better than anyone.

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