Kmart Breaks the Seal on Christmas 2013 Advertising

…and just like that, the love affair with Kmart advertising ended.

The retail bottom-feeder has recently enjoyed a run of accolades over its refreshing commercial spots. <<Quick Rewind: First it was ‘Ship my Pants’ and ‘Big-Gas Discounts’ – then a string of Back-to-School spots featuring playground rhymes and crimes of retro 90s fame (The “Yo-Mama” dis spots being my personal favorite).

First to climb up the 2013 tree!

But with over 100 days till Christmas (that’s right, the countdown still beats in the TRIPLE digits) the same army of “Don’t rush the season!” scrooges that usually have to wait until early-October to rise up are absolutely LOSING IT!

Here’s the spot:

Cool it, perma-bah humbugs.

I can’t imagine the piles of coal Santa must have left in your childhood stockings; y’all are NEVER happy to see the holidays! The spot doesn’t reek of holiday cheer – just a few faint bells and a scantily clad cookie. It’s not an overrun exposé of buy, BUY, BUY! but a subtler, non-specific “calm before the storm” reminder to start planning now so that you (and your wallet) aren’t over extended closer to year-end.

And, you gotta understand Kmart’s position.

The retailer has been playing second fiddle to Target and Walmart for far too long (wait – that analogy doesn’t even begin to describe the magnitude of the situation… more like trying to play a microscopic fiddle without a bow and the fiddle has been stepped on a few times). Now, for the first time in years ever people are actually taking notice of their ads, they’ve got to make the first appeal to holiday shoppers; opportunity knocks!

According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), 12% of consumers begin their holiday shopping before September, 6% during and another 20% kick it off in October.

And while the stock market continues to surge, consumers are still wary from a frugal 2009/2010.

Getting out in front of the others with a campaign that reminds shoppers of expanded layaway promotions isn’t just smart; it’s k(s)mart!

…No? I’ve used that corny play on words too many times before? OK, it’s brilliant!

While Kmart’s ad sets a new high-watermark for “Christmas Creep” – they’re expanding the retailer role in providing joy under the tree. Kmart doesn’t just want to be the place you run for door-busting specials, they want to work with you and help budget throughout the entire holiday shopping process.

Great move, guys. (The spot could have been just a bit funnier, though. The cookie’s creep factor is at 3 – it needs to be at like a 7-8 (aka Burger King ‘King’-creepy)). :P

Kmart’s BIG-GAS Savings…

Just in time for Memorial Day Weekend Travel, Kmart promotes its “Big Gas” savings in a big ass way:

 “Honey, this solves your BIG-GAS problem!”

It’s play on words, part 2!

RAWR! Kmart flexes its marketing might!

Following the viral success of their Ship My Pants spot, Kmart’s second 30-second spot of double-entendres is brilliant.

But is it as funny as their original?

Absolutely. This second serving of slapstick lewd-ity is everything movie sequels hope to be.

Kmart continues to count on comedic delivery to unveil new shopper benefits.

Their new approach is smart (“Kmart smart,” but for real this time).

With the bulk of US consumers aligned either team-Walmart or team-Target, Kmart has fallen on deaf ears for years.

We may not have listened to Kmart on its own merit, but we’ll always listen to a joke. And what’s coming out of Kmart’s mouth is more than just sass – it’s store benefits we might actually be interested in.

$0.30 off at the pump and I don’t even have to go into the store!? That’s a baby step I’m willing to take.

And see? I was so busy chuckling at all the “big gas-es,” I didn’t even notice I was being marketed to.

Precisely what Kmart was hoping for.

Third time’s a charm? Maybe some “sofa king” is next? Bring it. :) 

New (Old) JCPenney’s First Ad

It's been just four weeks since Ron Johnson clocked out as CEO of JCP; his promise to breathe new life into a retailer poised to celebrate its centennial + 10 fell short of a frantic board's expectations.

A Call for Change

Time has a way of marching forward, doesn’t it? Yesterday’s retail stroller riders are now pushing strollers of their own down the aisles – and no one wants to shop where mom and dad shop.

For far too many years JCPenney, (along with Sears and, to a lesser extent, Macy's), allowed themselves to age less than gracefully; falling out of vogue with what is now a new class of consumers.

But then JCP (Johnson) decided to make a bold move. JCP found the fountain of youth.

Suddenly, you were squinting at bright, energetic colors. You were energized by delightful, active imagery set in motion against a background of happy ditties you couldn’t get out of your head. In case you missed the year that was:

That felt good, didn’t it?

As a twenty-something retail aficionado I can tell you the new ads grabbed my attention. After a few they even moved JCP back to the shortlist for my patronage. But it takes a while to warm up to someone; to break old habits and start anew. And while my peers and I were not yet sold, a handful of outspoken (aka crotchety) legacy (aka geezer) JCP loyalists were sold on hating the new.

And sales took a tumble…

A (Re)Call for Change

Panicked to stop the bleeding, the JCP board brought back the very same leadership Johnson was meant to replace. And with the new (old) regime (back) at the helm, we received this 30-second commerci-apology.

A half minute sermon of “you make mistakes / you learn from them” with swirling images of every color and creed in the human spectrum (but none that might be confused as homosexual, dare JCP make the same mistake twice).

And my god. That somber, sullen tone.

You’d’ve thought somebody died. Is JCP apologizing for their involvement in the Gulf Coast disaster? Seriously – the ad feels better suited for some pharmaceutical company that’s trying to stand back up after a massive product recall that claimed dozens of lives.

The ad reeks of desperation. It’s diplomacy in the ultimate extreme; pandering to a waning, whiney base that’s standing with one foot already in the grave.

But worst of all, it’s devoid of all the personality the previous regime had worked back in.

You know, the foundation upon which JCP would begin to attract a new generation of store loyalists? Their key to fending off total obsolescence?

While old JCP meant nothing to me, I can appreciate it’s resonance with our parents and our parents’ parents. So why not strike a balance between retaining loyalists and charming new recruits?

Instead of a monochromatic, holistic lecture on personal growth, why not use the 30 seconds to:

Highlight SPECIFIC changes you intend to recall? 

“You missed your coupons, so we’re bringing them back in a big way.”

Reaffirm shoppers of the good you aim to keep? (Because it wasn’t all bad)

“We’ll continue to build out fashion-forward store-within-a-store concepts for brands like Betsy Johnson and Sephora.”

You didn’t have to ditch the new colors, music, and logo just to get a heartfelt message across.

Have two audiences.

This ad only speaks to one and it’s not me.
And, to quote the title of your ad, It’s No Secret – us millennials will be all you have left before too long.

Kmart will make you SHI* your pants…

Seriously, where did this ad come from?

Kudos to the K!

Ship my pants, ship my drawers and, my personal favorite, ship my nightie.

30-seconds of slight variations on the same double-entendre delivered in rapid succession.

Bathroom humor at its finest; the spot is a silly play on words delivered with a flat affect for added giggles.

Could Kmart have FINALLY found a personality all its own?

In a (retail) world where Target and Walmart have so eloquently carved separate personas, incumbent and former discount juggernaut Kmart was all but ousted.

Seriously. Who is Kmart for? We must have asked the question a thousand times.

With Target taking care of upper-income and design-conscious shoppers and Walmart on call to offer everything to everyone else, Kmart can’t get a single customer to take notice.

But with this spot – we notice.

Like the often neglected, attention-starved little brother, they’re outspoken and they’re spunky. It’s a counter-culture approach to marketing that can be oh-so effective.

The attitude reminds me of when Burger King first introduced us to the King. Or when Carl’s Jr. started opting to sell fast food with raw SEX (latest ad even banned from certain TV play).

You’re saying “OK, Daniel – how is a poop joke like that creepy king or girls in bikinis that fling pulled pork on each other?”

It’s rage against the machine. The spots are a breath of fresh air in a room filled with the stench of the often overplayed, safe, homogenous advertising provided by category leaders.

They’re saying let the leaders cater to the masses (a.k.a. women/mom, and kids). We’ll cater to all the niche markets less concerned with brand (also design, quality, and, when it comes to food, health).

We’d be remiss not to mention the crux of the ad. Can’t find the right size/color/quantity of item in-store? Kmart clerks will research inventory online (via super-sleek tablets, no less) and find, sell, and ship merchandise right to your doorstep…for free.

Now, if only we knew where we could (still) find a Kmart…

Thanks for the laugh guys! Hope it’s just the start of a long run of lewd, crude, and rude commercials. We’re all ears. :P #ShipMyPants

A polished Penney is still just a Penney

Vision: January 2012

...And no one wants a Penney.

At least that’s what performance under Ron Johnson’s regime would lead you to believe.

Released late February, Holiday/Q4 sales reports closed the books on the first operating year of a turnaround strategy that failed to take hold. In 2012, JCP amassed nearly a billion dollars in losses with revenue tumbling nearly 25 percent.

We weighed in on JCP’s new logo and their controversial pro-gay Father’s Day creative last year, so we’d be remiss not to comment on the changing of the guard.

Johnson Out, Ullman (back) in.

Johnson, a former star executive from both Apple and Target landed at JCP with such promise; now, ousted from his post as CEO after just 16 months. In a true “Leno 2.0” Tonight Show fashion, the board brought back Mike Ullman, a man who held the post for 7 unimpressive years leading up to Johnson’s arrival in late 2011.

Was it too soon?

Absolutely.

Erratic decision making is the mark of a [brand] in distress. You can have empathy for JCP’s plight; it’s easy to play “wait and see” when you’re not already fighting for survival.

As marketing professionals, we have a heightened sense of awareness for the idiosyncrasies of branding. But surely the general public can note there’s been something fresh and new with regards to the last twelve months at JCP.

Pricing – Weekly category promotions and erratic couponing were ousted in favor of everyday low pricing and simple sales.

Creatively speaking – There’s a new energy and spice in their fast-paced, musical TV spots; there’s a great vibrancy and flavor to their print ads and store fliers.

Looking in-store – Muddled cream subbed for bold white and crowded homogenous blocks of racks swapped for new “store within a store” boutique brands.

While the changes made might not have resonated with legacy shoppers, it was by design. Far too reliant on an aging population, Johnson’s JCP was meant to woo a new generation of buyers. And his leadership was pulled before the aura of the transformation had a chance to deliver new demo dollars.

Attention, Interest, Desire, Conviction, Close – remember the Sales Cycle from Marketing 101? Well, it takes time to work its magic. Johnson’s changes definitely secured attention and interest; maybe a bit of desire as well. But conviction and close didn’t come fast enough for the board.

Fool JCP once, shame on you. Fool JCP twice, shame on JCP.

What new vision does Ullman bring this go-around and what magic could it work over Johnson’s vision that would finally move JCP off life-support?

Is his (re-)post interim or permanent? Is the goal to win back legacy loyalists? Continue to rattle new, younger demos? Or, is it a mixture of both and a way to merely slow the pace of change?

Neither reign delivered dollars but at least Johnson’s JCP had personality and character. The brand felt alive once again. Although not part of Ullman’s vision, he’d be a fool not to carry the bulk of the new features forward.

The story isn’t over, but this marketing cynic is skeptical we’ll find a happy ending.

To be continued...