• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, January 23, 2025

Marisa Thalberg is only a few weeks into her new role as CMO at Catalyst Brands. But she’s already looking to make some outsized gains, starting with a new line of petite fashions, in partnership with Latina pop artist Ally Brooke. The limited-time collection builds on JC Penney’s commitment to fashion and beauty inclusion, and Thalberg says it is just a small taste of what’s ahead for the moderately priced department store.

Interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Marketing Daily: Let’s start with a career update. You had been the interim CMO at JC Penney, and with the formation of Catalyst Brands, are now the permanent CMO not just for Penney, but also Brooks Brothers, Aéropostale, Lucky Brand, Nautica and Eddie Bauer, right?

Marisa Thalberg: Yes, that’s a lot of brands -- and also a lot of opportunity.

Marketing Daily: How will you position the JC Penney brand? The company has been through so much turmoil in the last few years -- bankruptcy, downsizing, going private, the recent merger. How do people see the brand now, if they think of it all?

Thalberg: That's a fair summary. When I first told people that I was joining JCPenney, there were a couple of reactions. One was this sort of fun reminiscence:  "Oh, I remember that store." But reminiscence doesn't get us to where we need to be. I don't want you feeling nostalgic. I want you to be excited about coming to shop today.

For others, the store isn’t even on their radar as a destination.

I had my own discovery process, and once I got inside, I was like, "Wow. There is a lot in this store."

It’s a one-two punch. First, there’s amazing fashion. Second, I felt disbelief at how affordable it is -- we have exceptional deals all the time. And if you use coupons and our rewards program, in many cases we’re a better deal than off-price stores.

My job is to wake people up to that reality. The signal is there -- we just need to blow wind on it.

Marketing Daily: This Ally Brooke collaboration is one of your first moves in the new role. Why?

Thalberg: The formation of the collaboration predates me, but it’s nice to have the chance to bring a different view to how we integrate marketing and storytelling. What’s so interesting about the genesis of this is looking at Ally Brooke herself: petite in stature, but powerful in presence.

As a petite person myself, I know we often -- both literally and figuratively -- feel cast in the shadows.

It’s especially significant because she is Mexican American. Being smaller really resonates with many Hispanic women, and that is a very important part of our customer base. We’re working harder at being more inclusive, and this ties into that.

And finally, no more petite tax!

Marketing Daily: Anyone 5’4” or under is considered petite. I’m 5’ 3,” but I’m not sure I know what the petite tax is.

Thalberg: I’m the same height. And so, we’re borderline and can often find clothes that fit in standard sizes. But I know so many super-accomplished women, 5’ and under, who have to spend so much on alterations.

What’s cool about this collection, too, is it defies the stereotype that there are certain types of fashion that smaller-sized women shouldn’t wear, like a long trench coat or Bermuda shorts.

And while it’s designed for petites, it really is inclusive. The clothes are also available in standard sizes, as well as plus sizes. Special sizes are an area many retailers have backed off on, and we're doubling down, even for men. We're fully committed to speaking to the needs of all different types of American customers.

Marketing Daily: Will there be a media campaign for this collection? Any TV?

Thalberg: No TV. We’re doing an earned-first campaign with media and social, but some paid as well.

Marketing Daily: In the last year, Penney has radically overhauled beauty. Anything new there?

Thalberg: Stay tuned. Since we've created our own beauty department, it's given us the latitude to think differently about what we can bring that is unique. We’ve got such an interesting curation of brands. We have a higher proportion of women-founded or BIPOC-founded brands, compared to other retailers. And it’s such a combination: hot brands you’ve heard of, and ones you don’t know. Mass products, like E.L.F., all the way to prestige. And we’ve got an incredibly strong fragrance selection.

We’re offering lots of mini services for free. And it is all done in a way that is so welcoming and not intimidating at all.

When you combine that beauty strength with what we’ll be doing with our fashion story, you’ll see us shining a spotlight on all we have to offer.

We're already seeing a perception shift on social media.

Marketing Daily: As you settle in, what are the vital signs you are watching to track brand health?

Thalberg: I don't want to say too much, but we're pretty happy with some of the signals we are seeing through the holidays. We are seeing some exciting traffic trends, so momentum is building.

We had excellent new customer growth, especially driven by our Thursday Night Football “Really Big Deals” program that we did throughout the fall. Once you get people noticing and they see what’s under our roof, they’re willing to give it a try.