Dive Brief:
- J.C. Penney will begin promoting one-cent deals this weekend on television and in print as part of its new “Get Your Penney’s Worth” campaign, The Dallas Morning News reports.
- Penny promotions will be limited and include one-cent and buy-one-get-one-for-a-penny deals on items from Penney’s signature house brands.
- TV ads in English and Spanish will feature regular people getting their "Penney’s worth," and a companion digital ad will offer a virtual scratch-off ticket.
Dive Insight:
J.C. Penney is giving shoppers grocery-store-style deals—even offering certain items for a penny. The discount department store chain is set to begin promoting the mnemonic loss leaders with a new campaign tagged “Get Your Penney’s Worth” (#soworthit).
J.C. Penney says the campaign’s goal is to encourage people to try its basics, including items from the highly profitable house brands Arizona and St. John’s Bay. The chain also hopes to get more people into stores; focus groups indicate that consumers are reluctant to enter Penney’s locations, but are often pleasantly surprised once inside.
Veteran CPG marketer Mary Beth West, Penney’s chief customer and marketing officer, spearheaded the push, indicating that apparel, too, can be an impulse buy. The strategy places Penney’s stores into the fast-fashion realm with H&M and Forever 21, albeit targeting a more conservative shopper profile.
J.C. Penney CEO Marvin Ellison’s three-year turnaround plan is generating lots of new strategies to reverse the damage caused by a disastrous 2012 reinvention of the brand. Reintroducing itself to consumers as the deal-oriented stores customers knew and loved, Penney’s sales increased slightly during the holidays. Penney’s will report full-year 2015 results on Friday.
