JCPenney remade Paris Fashion Week in its own image, closing out fashion month with a March 13 runway show and experiential event in Paris, Texas, per details shared with Marketing Dive. The event is an extension of a “Yes, JCPenney” platform that has helped drive store traffic and growth across product categories.
“We are continuing to build on the platform we established less than a year ago… when there are culturally relevant moments to poke a little bit at elitism and how unattainable that is, and translate it into a way that actually is really for everyone, for our customers, for everyone else who deserves all the good things too,” said Marisa Thalberg, executive vice president and chief customer and marketing officer at JCPenney parent Catalyst Brands.
“The Other Paris Runway” gave an egalitarian spin to the high-class, high-fashion event in France. It was held in an open-air field at sunset, in front of a Texas-version of the Eiffel Tower, with locals making up the guest list and the ranks of the models. Unlike the haute fashion showcased during shows in Paris, New York, London and Milan, the looks at JCPenney’s show are available now, at prices displayed on stage.
The activation shares a tone with “The Other Venice Wedding,” a social-focused effort that saw JCPenney riff on the multimillion-dollar wedding of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez. Both campaigns tap into attention around growing wealth inequality and the cultural prevalence of figures like Bezos, Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, who was front row during Milan Fashion Week to hype up Meta’s partnership with Prada.
“That’s a real tension that we want to playfully but joyfully push up against,” Thalberg said. “This is a celebration of spring and a celebration of real fashion, but attainable for real people right now — no matter your budget, no matter your shape, no matter your size, no matter your gender.”
The budget-minded activation and campaign also come as consumers continue to feel macroeconomic pressure, which could be exacerbated by the war in Iran. While “The Other Paris Runway” is a playful take on a cultural touchpoint, it was created with serious consumer insights.
“Too many brands and retailers are not willing to to give the same level of respect and honor and value to customers of all different socioeconomic means,” Thalberg said. “We know our customers want this. They want great things. They just want to be able to afford them, for themselves and for their whole family, too.”
“The Other Paris Runway” featured JCPenney private label brands as well as Ashley Graham’s JCPenney collection and pieces from RM by Rebecca Minkoff, with hair and makeup from the department store’s salon and beauty experts.
The event leads into JCPenney’s spring campaign, “Exactly What You Are (and Aren’t) Looking For,” set to debut on March 19. Two 15-second ads by Mischief showcase the low prices of items spanning tableware, cookware, apparel and jewelry and build on previous “Yes, JCPenney” spots.
“You're going to see very much a continuation of the look, the feel, the wry wink, the knowingness, the real world situational humor that we've put into the advertising,” Thalberg said.
JCPenney recently had another tough quarter, with net sales down 3.8% year over year to $1.36 billion. However, the chain gained 20% more loyalty customers and saw store traffic outpace rivals by about 180 basis points in the quarter, according to financial filings cited by Retail Dive. The retailer credited marketing efforts with a 1% trip frequency boost in September.
“We saw a material change in brand consideration over the past few months, and our year is off to a really good start,” Thalberg said. “All of this is hopefully just going to continue to make JCPenney relevant to a whole new customer, as well as continuing to honor and serve the customers who've always been there with us.”
