A Penney For Your Thought

In an earlier post I wrote about the fun, new branding strategy J.C. Penney was implementing. A new re-design of the catalog, logo and website. A new pricing strategy excluding coupons, weekend sales and no more of that “.99” at the end of a price tag. I applauded J.C. Penney for taking a risk and growing with their target audience. I even said corporations and organizations could learn from J.C. Penney.

I still think the strategy behind the new branding is awesome, and I still agree J.C. Penney had to change in order to grow with its target market. However, the key to a new branding strategy is make sure the new strategy is implemented correctly in your stores and with your employees. Not just on paper.

The follow through at J.C. Penney stores could be better. Prices are a mess; everything is out of order and even the employees seem to be down.  It is very important for corporations and organizations to remember the importance of internal marketing. Make sure your employees are onboard with a change, and more importantly they understand why the change is taking place. Also, before you launch a new branding strategy, make sure the stores are ready for the crowds, questions and new prices. Your new brand could look awesome on paper, but if it is not followed through to your customers , the brand looses its meaning.

Every branding change in a company is going to have kinks to work out along the way, and customers are going to understand. The key is try to figure out what the kinks are before you launch your new brand, so you can be prepared for them.