Catalyst Brands Drives Retail Revitalization with Cultural Relevance and Heritage โขmarketing
NEW YORK – November 6, 2024 – Catalyst Brands,โ led by CEO Ken Ohashi, is spearheading a โmarketing overhaul for legacy retailers JCPenney, Brooks Brothers, and Eddie Bauer, focusing on blending brand heritage with contemporary cultural moments to attract both loyal customers โขand newโ demographics. The strategy centers onโ repositioning these established brands beyond โคtheir traditional identities, โคacknowledgingโ shifting consumer preferences and the evolving retail โlandscape.
JCPenney’s approach โinvolves โฃa dual strategy: maintaining appeal for longtime shoppers seeking private-label productsโ and โdeals whileโ simultaneously attracting younger consumers, like millennials, interested in major brands such as Nikeโข and Adidas. To engage this younger audience, JCPenney is actively “leaningโ into culture,” โฃexemplified by giftingโข a $10,000 wedding to aโ couple in Venice, California – a playfulโ nod to Jeff Bezos’ recent wedding in โVenice, Italy. The retailer is also collaborating with plus-size model Ashleyโ Graham on product development and โขmarketing campaigns.
At Brooks Brothers, Ohashi took the helmโ shortly after the brand’s 2020 bankruptcy filing. He identified โa narrow focus on suitsโฃ and shirts as a barrier to appealing toโค the growing trendโ of casual yet professional โขapparel. Coupled with high operating โcosts โfrom an extensive physical store network, a brandโ revitalization was deemed โnecessary. The core objective became modernizingโ the brand while leveraging its history. “I don’t thinkโ the brand really hadโค a vibe,” Ohashi stated. “We didn’t really understand why people are coming to Brooks Brothers and what is theโค feeling and vibe that weโฃ want customers to feel?”
A recent campaign celebrating the 125th anniversary of the Brooks โคBrothers button-down shirt โขaimed to reshape perceptions โคby โhighlighting the brand’s pioneering โขrole in creatingโ the now-ubiquitous garment. “Prior to โBrooks, the collar and shirt were twoโ separate pieces-Brooks attached it,”โ Ohashiโ explained.
Eddie Bauer is undergoing a similar transformation, shifting from โฃa primarily outdoor andโข technical โapparel focus to a broader lifestyle brand.Catalyst Brands’ strategy, according โฃtoโข marketing lead Jamie Thalberg, is โคto โคdemonstrate “the art โofโ the possible” rather than attempting a complete โbrand โreinvention. The brand’s holiday campaign positions Eddie Bauer as outdoorsy, appealing to a wider audience beyond dedicated outdoor enthusiasts. “For every person that was โgoing to climb Mount Everest, there’s a guy or woman who wants something cozy, great, and easy to โwalk the dog,” โคThalberg said.
crucially, Catalyst Brands โฃemphasizes the importance of retaining โฃexisting customers โwhile pursuing new markets.โข “We really try to notโค fire out existingโค customers in the process of trying to go flirt with some new ones,” Thalbergโค added. “Itsโ not easy โto do – you have toโฃ be really thoughtful.”
