• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, September 5, 2024

A screaming baby in a mountain of laundry. Dropped ice cream cones. Sphinx-like teens. Kohl’s is betting those realistic vignettes won’t just resonate with its shoppers but also remind them of the emotional ties that make the chaos worth it.

The new ad push comes as the retailer – one of America’s most distinctly middle-class brands – tries to regain its footing, hoping to reverse a prolonged slump. It’s also celebrating the platform launch with a three-day sales event and beefed-up offers for its popular Kohl’s Cash loyalty program.

“Today’s family is inundated with images of perfection across media channels, so we wanted to flip the script and bring authenticity to our marketing and storytelling that shows real moments,” says Christie Raymond, Kohl’s chief marketing officer, in the announcement. “With our new platform, we have an opportunity to emotionally connect with new and existing customers, including families in all of their forms, and get them excited about the changes we’re making.”

Ads are scheduled to run on TV, digital, video, and social, inviting shoppers to post their own realistic photos using the #KohlsFinds hashtag. VML is the agency.*

The Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin-based chain understands its deal-hungry fan base and plans to give away millions in instant Kohl’s Cash coupons in the days ahead.

With more than 1,000 stores in 49 states and partnerships with Sephora and Babies R Us, Kohl's caters to middle America. Those shoppers are among the most concerned about macroeconomic trends, including higher interest rates. They’ve reduced spending, especially on apparel, costing Kohl’s sales.

In its most recent quarterly results, released last week, the company reported a 4.2% decline in sales, falling to $3.5 billion. On a comparable sales basis, sales dropped 5.1% as consumer cutbacks intensified later in the quarter.

The company lowered its financial forecast for revenues and now predicts sales will sink between 4 and 6%. But it raised its outlook for profits as efficiency efforts take hold.

While the company believes it has taken plenty of steps to pave the way for future growth, “our efforts have yet to fully yield the intended outcome due in part to a continued challenging consumer environment and softness in our core business,” said Tom Kingsbury, Kohl’s chief executive officer, in announcing the results. “During the second quarter, our customers exhibited more discretion in their spending, which pressured our sales even as customers transacted more frequently.”

Analyst David Swartz, who follows Kohl’s for Morningstar, writes that he is encouraged by the improvement in its profits, as it focuses on shoring up merchandising, expense control, pricing, inventory, and its balance sheet.

But the competitive outlook is still relatively bleak. He writes that Kohl’s has lower sales now than it did 10 years ago “despite expanding its store base.” As competitors, including Amazon, other online companies, discounters and specialty stores keep cutting into Kohl’s share, “we believe Kohl’s large fleet of big-box stores is unnecessary in an increasingly fragmented market.”

*An earlier version failed to credit VML.