JC Penney Interactive Marketing Campaign
Brief History of JC Penney
Back in 1898 James Cash Penney began working at Golden Rule stores
He opened his first Golden Rule Store in 1902 in Kemmerer, Wyoming, seen here in a picture from 1904.
When he opened the store, Penney was offered one-third partnership of the store
From 1902-1906- He participated in 2 more store openings
In 1907- The partnership was dissolved and then Penney purchased all 3 stores
1913- Incorporated under new name J.C. Penney Company
Before the Stock Market Crash in 1929, he had opened his 1000th store. [Next Slide]
After the crash, Penney lost all personal wealth, borrowed from life insurance to meet payroll.
Penney remained chairman of the board until 1946, where he then became honorary chairman
1956- Began national advertisements with Life magazine
In 1971 Mr. Penney died at age 95
During the 1980’s they discontinued the hardware and automotive department and they also ceased all sales of firearms.
Brand Analysis
Strengths
Long History
Brand Recognition
Exclusive popular brand names.
Established Locations Nationwide with 1,014 still open
WeaknessesAging clientele
Decline in comparable store sales
Decrease in popularity
Changing Business Strategies
Lack of coupons.
OpportunitiesInternet Sales
Exploring Niche Markets (Maternity, plus sizes, and/or Big&Tall)
Attracting New Customers
Launching new exclusive private label brands.
ThreatsRising labor costs in the U.S.
Increasing competition in industry
Internet-customers comparing prices
Weak consumer spending
The Problem
From the SWOT Analysis, it is apparent that the only consumers that are not just passing through the store are aging and learning how to shop online.
The Solution
Step 1: Creating top of mind brand awareness by embracing public outrage at advertising.
Step 2: Getting younger consumers in the store and having them engaged while looking around
Introducing the Bait
Leading right before April, a series of videos, articles, and other such content will create buzz for the Getting Kicked Out of JC Penney ChallengeEach post will be curated to make sure that everyone knows that they can’t break the law or cause any harm or damage. The trick of the challenge is that once a staff member notices someone trying to cause a ruckus, we…
[next slide]
The staff member will hand each person attempting to get kicked out a copy of the store's unique bingo card.Starting April 1st, each store will oversee creating their own scavenger hunts inside.The Scavenger Hunt will have potential consumers actively looking through the store, taking pictures of them interacting with the products, sharing them on their social media, and using specific hashtags to indicate that they participated. Each column that is filled will unlock a discount starting at 5% off purchases all the way to 45% off big ticket items like luggage or bedding when the card is “Blacked Out”.
In Conclusion
The goal is bringing increasing engaged foot traffic, generating social buzz, and in the end, create more opportunities for purchasing.
Are there any questions?
