Duolingo, Target, and Staples were September's standout retailers, each winning for a creative campaign or strategic initiative.

"I think it's also really interesting the timing of it, right? Because it's pumpkin spice season, and they're also saying that we're not just gonna put all our eggs in one basket," said our analyst Becky Schilling on a recent episode of "Reimagining Retail," discussing how retailers are diversifying their approaches to capture consumer attention.

EMARKETER's Unofficial Monthly Retailer Awards recognize brands that stood out in September across three categories: most impactful campaign, best in-real-life initiative, and greatest under-the-radar move.

Most impactful campaign: Duolingo's Fashion Week play

Duolingo won for The Phonetic Collection, a capsule collection launched during New York Fashion Week that turned pronunciation lessons into wearable designs. The collection featured items like a lime-green purse with letters spelling out the phonetic pronunciation of Hermès and a jacket displaying Givenchy's pronunciation.

"What I liked about this is it wasn't Duo focused, which is Duo is the owl mascot," said our analyst Arielle Feger. "I feel like they've done a lot of stuff with him. They killed him off or brought him back or whatever. So I like that this was kind of like a little bit different."

Duolingo showed how a digital-first brand can create a memorable moment by tying into a cultural event. The campaign built brand awareness, even though questions remained about whether it would convert directly to app downloads.

Brands can use cultural moments to stay relevant even when the connection to their core business isn't immediately obvious. For Duolingo, the memorability and buzz proved more valuable than direct attribution.

Best in-real-life initiative: Target's employee apparel line

Target claimed this category for introducing a dedicated apparel line for employees designed with involvement from creative director at large Isaac Mizrahi. The collection offers employees elevated uniform options they can purchase at a discount, with some limited-edition items creating scarcity.

"We talk a lot about how they need to become more of a style destination, and I feel like this is one way you could do it," analyst Rachel Wolff said. "If you're a shopper and you walk in, you see an employee wearing something really cool, you're like, 'Wow, you know, even the employees have great fashion or great style.'"

Target's line serves three business goals at once: It makes employees more visible on the sales floor, reinforces Target's style credentials, and opens a market of over 150,000 store associates.

The move shows retailers can turn employee experience into a marketing tool while solving operational challenges. Target's line makes employees feel valued and enhances brand perception at the same time.

Greatest under-the-radar move: Staples revives iconic campaign for B2B

Staples won for debuting the "hard button" campaign, a clever evolution of its famous "easy button" that highlights the company's B2B business. The campaign takes recognizable consumer-facing IP and repositions it for business customers.

"I think it's clever, and it's fun, and it's just a good way to raise awareness of, 'Hey, we do this, too,'" Feger said.

Staples took a campaign that had already achieved widespread consumer recognition and adapted it for a different market segment. The alter-ego approach keeps continuity with the original while signaling Staples' B2B capabilities.

Staples' move shows that legacy campaigns can be refreshed rather than abandoned. Retailers with valuable brand IP can extend its life and reach by adapting it for different audiences.

Listen to the full episode.