Suzy Davidkhanian: Hi, everyone. Today is Wednesday, July 29th. Welcome to eMarketer's weekly retail show, Reimagining Retail, where we talk about how retail collides with every part of our lives. I'm your host, Suzy Davidkhanian, and on today's episode, we're back with our unofficial monthly retailer awards. Yes, the MRAs.

Suzy Davidkhanian: Let's see who stood out this month. Joining me, we have podcast regulars, Becky Schilling. Hey, Becky.

Becky Schilling: Hello. I am so ready.

Suzy Davidkhanian: I am, too. Bring it on. We also have Blake Droesch. Hey, Blake.

Blake Droesch: Hello. It's good to be back.

Suzy Davidkhanian: Thanks for joining us. And for her first pod, Karen Jacobs. Hey, Karen.

Karen Jacobs: Hello. I'm the newbie.

Suzy Davidkhanian: We're so excited to have you.

Suzy Davidkhanian: So as a reminder, here's how it works. Each month, we're handing out awards to the retailers that we think really nailed it in a few areas. So we've got three categories: Most Impactful Campaign, Best In Real Life Initiative, and the Greatest Under the Radar Move. Becky, Blake, and Karen each brought a nominee for July, and I get to pick the winner based on how convincing their case is.

Suzy Davidkhanian: And if we all remember from every month we do this, I can be easily swayed.

Becky Schilling: True.

Suzy Davidkhanian: Okay. Okay. That was for you, Becky, just so you know. And I really loved some of yours. Just so, so everybody knows, the playing field is not even, but it is also very even because I can be swayed. So let's get started. Number one award is for the Most Impactful Campaign, the marketing idea that broke through the noise, it resonated, it was memorable, and it was performance-driving.

Suzy Davidkhanian: And the nominations are... Becky, let's start with you

Becky Schilling: So my nomination is Nike, their Rip the Script. And I know what you're thinking. It's Nike, they put 30 celebrities in a six-minute video, how impactful, how different is this from something that they've done? But here's why it's different. It wasn't just a commercial, it was the opening scene of this whole season, which was the FIFA World Cup.

Becky Schilling: They, Nike built out their entire football universe. There were capsule drops, Lego tie-ins, street play pushes, all kinds of things, but Rip the Script was the trailer. Had 50 million YouTube views in one week. They were still rolling out content all throughout this past weekend's final. Also, Ted Lasso had an appearance, which, I'm sorry, but in my book wins all the time.

Becky Schilling: This was CEO Elliot Hill's f- whole turnaround bet. Football was one of the... Or soccer, so sorry, is one of the five pillars of Nike's comeback, and riding on this one campaign gave it legs for an entire tournament. It's not just a big ad, it's a big bet.

Suzy Davidkhanian: So I don't know if you guys saw the, it is six minutes.

Suzy Davidkhanian: It is literally six minutes. I tried to see if they turned it into a 30-second spot. It wasn't. I watched almost every game. I didn't see the spot in real life, though they don't really have a lot of commercials. But it was so good. Did anybody else watch it? What I- It

Becky Schilling: was chaos in the best way.

Suzy Davidkhanian: It was, um, it was...

Suzy Davidkhanian: And then I didn't understand what Kim Kardashian was doing in the, in the ad, but you know what? It doesn't matter. What I think that is maybe even more important is that it was tied into so many other things. But as you've already said, is this something new or are they just repeating what they've always been doing, Becky?

Becky Schilling: I think it's slight of a repeat. Like obviously it's Nike, they always have big celebrity and big names because that's what Nike's been built off is these big athletes and the endorsements. But I think the bringing in some of the outside, um, actors and Kim Kardashian, agreed, not sure why she was there, but you know, it added a little bit of intrigue.

Becky Schilling: But it also kinda felt like it was a movie script, but it was also kinda like a music video, and it was very interesting and they cut it up in social clips and, and it was just kind of this big kickoff to this entire campaign that they did.

Suzy Davidkhanian: It was definitely an interesting way to be part of a global cultural moment.

Becky Schilling: Yeah

Suzy Davidkhanian: Blake, what do you, who do you have?

Blake Droesch: Um, I have Gap, uh, with their '90s nostalgia, um, campaign that features, uh, Hailey Bieber. I guess, like, it didn't ... It's not necessarily that the campaign wowed me. It's just that, like, had Gap not taken, uh, the opportunity to try to cash in on the '90s nostalgia trend, they would be just sort of the biggest fools in marketing.

Blake Droesch: So I think the fact that they did it and executed it well is worthy of an accolade this month. The whole baggy jeans '90s trends are just really in right now with Gen Z, so if you are Gap, a retailer that has been desperately trying to become relevant again, why would you not highlight an era of nostalgia for which you were relevant?

Blake Droesch: Probably the last decade that Gap was actually cool. Um, so I think the fact that they got a sort of Gen Z celebrity, Gen Z is the generation that's really driving this '90s nostalgia campaign or this '90s nostalgia trend, um, it fits really, really well together. And I think that it's, it's better for them to sort of go back to basics, go back to what they know, than to try to make a big splash with a marketing campaign that is not on brand.

Blake Droesch: Uh, this is 100% on brand for Gap. Uh, the other thing that I think was interesting is I don't if- know if you guys remember, but I think it was earlier this year we did a podcast about Gap hiring a chief entertainment officer. Mm-hmm. Um, which we kind of like speculated, like, what does this mean? Is this something new, or is it gonna be different from a chief brand officer?

Blake Droesch: This was sort of like being rolled out as sort of a, a, a new, um, uh, or, or sort of an initiative behind the chief entertainment idea. I'm not really impressed from that point of view. I think it is still at the end of the day just sort of a celebrity-led campaign. But I think it's a good one, and I think it's good for the brand.

Suzy Davidkhanian: Like, I think it's really interesting 'cause Gap has been leaning into the momentum of the '90s nostalgia, so it's kinda like nothing new. It's just that they brought what could arguably be a very relevant person to try and get them back onto the radar. But do you think it's enough for them to move product?

Suzy Davidkhanian: Like, how is their product looking?

Blake Droesch: I think, like, yeah, you make a good point that this is not, they're not reinventing the wheel. But I think, you know, sometimes in brand marketing, it's a long-term play, and you need to sort of keep building on what you've already, you know, the groundwork that you've already laid.

Blake Droesch: Uh, and I think that this is a, a pretty good effort. In terms of, like, moving their merchandise, you know, it's tough, right? Because I think Gap has sort of v- you know, in the last s- several years become more of a place where people to go to get sort of their staples, uh, not necessarily buy the latest fashion trends.

Blake Droesch: So they are, they are positioning this campaign as a way to sort of win back some of that, you know, th- those more sort of fashion-forward dollars, um, from particularly from younger shoppers, and I think that remains to be, you know, seen how, how successful they're going to be. I don't think they're barking up the wrong tree by taking this strategy.

Karen Jacobs: I don't either. I think Gap is Still, it's still a hip brand actually. And it's, it's a, an all-American brand, and it's, uh, on the way back, so.

Blake Droesch: Yeah, and I think, like, it is, it's still a brand that has a ton of re- br- like, household recognition. You know, the stores are still around, uh, at least, you know, where I live.

Blake Droesch: Like, you know, you typically, like, you can get to a Gap if you need to. But I think that, you know, they are going through a little bit of an identity crisis where they really, you know, wanna retain their sort of, their, their place in fashion as sort of a really, really trend-setting brand that, you know, I don't, I don't- I think they've lost a little bit of it, um, in recent years, and they're really, like, using this as a moment to get back in there.

Suzy Davidkhanian: It's true, 'cause I think of them as a basics brand versus a fashion brand, so it is an important distinction to try and find ways to latch on to cool factor so that you can be a fashion hip brand.

Blake Droesch: Mm-hmm.

Suzy Davidkhanian: Karen,

Becky Schilling: it is

Suzy Davidkhanian: on your l- But is that- On your

Becky Schilling: board ... is that what they're doing, though? I- it just feels kind of like a Sydney Sweeney.

Becky Schilling: Like s-

Suzy Davidkhanian: Minus

Becky Schilling: the controversy ... where it's just kind of w- uh, just kinda like the celebrity, and we're gonna put all our eggs in this jeans basket, and this is gonna be our ad campaign. And it just kinda feels a little bit like maybe we're just riding the coattails of somebody else who it worked for.

Suzy Davidkhanian: I don't know.

Suzy Davidkhanian: It feels like Becky's really gunning for the win over here, but let's see what Karen has as her nominee.

Karen Jacobs: Well, speaking of refreshing brands, which is what Gap is trying to do, I also chose as my winner Farmers Insurance, which has embarked on a major brand refresh. Um, insurance is a difficult category in which to, uh, stand out.

Karen Jacobs: The products can feel complicated, and many of the ads start to blend together. Farmers tried to confront that problem with its new Honesty is Our Policy platform. It replaced its familiar red, white, and, and blue look with a, a striking pink identity. Um, it introduced more straightforward messaging, and flipped its famous We Are Farmers jingle to You Have Farmers.

Karen Jacobs: It's a small change in wording, but an important one.

Suzy Davidkhanian: Karen, I really appreciate that you sang the jingle for us, and because- ... of that, you have an in perpetuity, I don't know if that's the right word, uh, invitation to come back to any UMRAAs where you will sing another jingle. My question to you, though, is, because I saw those commercials, and I was like, "Is this just a spoof moment in time, or is this a rebrand that is lasting, the pink?"

Suzy Davidkhanian: Do you know?

Karen Jacobs: Well, I mean, time will tell. Uh, the campaign really just kicked off, but it seems that the company is trying to move the focus from the company to the, the customer. I'll also add that they are, uh, moving on from a longtime spokesman, JK Simmons. And trying to preserve some of the humor associated with the brand.

Suzy Davidkhanian: I mean, it was de- they're, they're definitely funny, the ads. I don't know if you guys have seen them. They're, they're running on TV now. They're funny, but I don't know, for me it was just like the same, the same in pink. I guess it was so subtle, the jingle change, that I didn't catch it.

Karen Jacobs: Yeah, I, I, I wondered if people would think the use of the color pink was odd, but I, I thought about it some more and I think, well, that's what makes it novel and definitely allows it to stand out, especially among insurers.

Karen Jacobs: I thought this campaign was compelling because of the, the scale of the reinvention. They, th- the company didn't, didn't discard everything that people know about the Farmers, but it changed enough to perhaps garner another look from people.

Suzy Davidkhanian: Thank you guys for your nominees. I'm surprised nobody talked about Aeropostale and their Intern Diaries, 'cause we've been spending so much time talking about micro dramas and thinking about how do you use creators in a more, quote-unquote, authentic way.

Suzy Davidkhanian: The winner of our first award, the Most Impactful Campaign, goes to Becky

Suzy Davidkhanian: for Nike. Because I actually think that despite it being six minutes and that being outrageously long, they were able to do so many things around that commercial that tied in to this movement, um, that it felt very holistic and it was like the star-studded, including, did you guys see that Zoltan was in it?

Suzy Davidkhanian: Like, the whole thing was ridiculous, but I think it's because of all the ancillary things that they did that it really did make it for an impactful campaign. Well done.

Becky Schilling: Thank you. I got blanked last time, so I, I feel redeemed.

Karen Jacobs: Was Nike an official FIFA sponsor?

Becky Schilling: They weren't, which is what made it even more impactful.

Suzy Davidkhanian: Awesome. Now on to award number two, Best In Real Life Initiative. This is the in real life move that got people off their screens and into stores, creating an experience worth checking out. And the nominations are, Blake, who do you have on your list?

Blake Droesch: Uh, for this one I'm gonna go with Aldi for opening up a store in Times Square, which I think is an interesting move for a grocer.

Blake Droesch: Uh, you don't typically hear about grocery stores opening up, like, flagship stores in th- the crossroads of the universe. Um, but as a, a grocery store that is making a big push, uh, to get into the US market, uh, it is a great marketing opportunity for them, uh, particularly as they are expanding to areas of the country, uh, like the Midwest and West that, uh, typically get a lot of tourists coming to, to New York City.

Blake Droesch: So if you are a tourist from one of these areas and you're staying at a hotel near Times Square, you see an Aldi, uh, you see as an opportunity to go into the store, check it out, see how, you know, great and clean it is and well-stocked it is, and then you go home and realize that they've just opened up a store near where you live, that's a great way to get the word out and get new customers.

Blake Droesch: So I think it was a very interesting move for, uh, for a retailer to, for a grocery retailer to do the old, uh, Times Square flagship move.

Suzy Davidkhanian: I have so much to say about this. I looked at the pictures. It looks identical to a big box Aldi. And I thought with the tourists, you were going with, like, all the Europeans that are coming and staying in Times Square, and the timing was perfect with the World Cup.

Suzy Davidkhanian: This influx of Europeans who are familiar with the brand-

Blake Droesch: Hmm ...

Suzy Davidkhanian: might actually end up going there and buying their favorite private label stuff that they can't get anywhere else.

Blake Droesch: That's really interesting. I didn't even think about that, but probably also true. I think e- there has obviously been, you know, Aldi's opened up hundreds of new stores in the US over the last couple of years, so I was thinking that it was a, it was a play at the US tourist market.

Blake Droesch: But, uh- That's interesting ... yeah, I think maybe- Could be any ... it's also a good way to sh- to show how much reach they have now for all of the Europeans who came over- Yeah ... and, you know, found an Aldi, their home grocery store, in the middle of Times Square.

Suzy Davidkhanian: Also very technical, but there aren't enough grocery stores in Midtown, and so I'm sure that there was also room for there to be a grocery store over there.

Suzy Davidkhanian: What I don't understand, because I'm very literal, is how is this an in real life move? Is that because they were doing giveaways and things?

Blake Droesch: Uh, well, the f- the store exists in real life. Uh- Got it ... so, uh, I thought it was f- Instead of shopping on your screen ... I thought it was fair game. Yeah.

Suzy Davidkhanian: They did do opening day exclusive, so that could have been your in real life play.

Blake Droesch: There we go. So it's a, I mean, whether you say it or I say it, Suzy, I think it still counts towards it being- It still counts ... the winning idea.

Suzy Davidkhanian: So Karen, what's yours?

Karen Jacobs: My idea was, um, Skylark, which, uh, is the, um, Justin Bieber brand that's, that's primarily online, but for a few days it created, uh, a place in New York City, a pop-up where, where, where fans could, uh, go and experience in person.

Karen Jacobs: According to reports, people lined up overnight. It was a site in, uh, a- around the block in the Meatpacking District. Um, and inside, uh, there was, uh, apparel, footwear, sneakers, a- a- along with, uh, tech enhanced mirrors, specialty drinks, and, uh, and other details that made the place feel like, like more than a temporary store.

Karen Jacobs: I think this is what a strong, uh, in real life activation should do, uh, um, offer some scarcity, discovery, and, uh, a sense of community.

Suzy Davidkhanian: And brilliantly timed, because for anybody who watched the first ever halftime show, he had a song. It's almost like obviously they knew exactly what they were doing, and that drove more people to the space.

Suzy Davidkhanian: Becky, who do you have?

Becky Schilling: Well, mine is also gonna be a pop-up in New York City, uh, but is Lego, a giant Lego. So for those of you who saw the Lego ad that went viral with Messi and Ronaldo and other stars building the trophy on their social media, uh, they took that and they actually built it in July. It was in the Rockefeller Plaza.

Becky Schilling: It was 27 feet high. It was made out of more than a million Legos. It was open. It was free to the public. It really was this focal point where fans from all over the world could gather around this huge trophy and watch the game. Uh, there was nothing to buy. It was all about bringing people together in community and kinda furthering all of these activations that Lego had been doing during the World Cup.

Suzy Davidkhanian: And they had a fan zone, and so like I had friends who came in from England, and their kids wanted to go there and like see and touch things. And for those of you who don't know, there's a Lego store right around the corner, so of course there was probably some, uh, like a spike in sales or a halo effect.

Suzy Davidkhanian: I really love this sort of how do you take a global moment, attach a brand to it, and make it into like a participatory thing versus a sales thing.

Becky Schilling: I'm sorry, but tourists are gonna go see the l- this over the Aldi in Times Square.

Suzy Davidkhanian: Well, to be fair, this is the only one I saw in real life, but that is not why I am picking our best in real life initiative, the Lego But I mean, I don't know if you guys saw that World Cup LEGO gigantic cup was amazing.

Suzy Davidkhanian: Truly, truly amazing The, the

Becky Schilling: pictures are pr- are ... Look it up. It's pretty cool.

Suzy Davidkhanian: Yeah. Okay.

Karen Jacobs: Yeah. I mean, it seems like the color, the, the, the gold color might be a little off, but it, maybe they were going for old gold.

Suzy Davidkhanian: I think it was LEGO gold, but I'm not sure.

Blake Droesch: Hmm.

Suzy Davidkhanian: I don't know. In any event.

Blake Droesch: Maybe, maybe we need to strip it of its accolade if it's in- if inauthentic.

Blake Droesch: Guys,

Suzy Davidkhanian: I didn't realize that winning an award was such a big deal. I'm so excited. A big deal. Like, my competitive edge is r- is, like, moving. It's r- I have ripple effects. Okay, guys. Off to our third greatest under the radar move, the smart play that didn't make the headlines but quietly moved the business forward.

Suzy Davidkhanian: Give me your pitch in a minute or less. The nominees, starting with you, Karen.

Karen Jacobs: My under the radar selection is Tailored Brands. Now, this is the, the parent of Men's Wearhouse, JoS. A. Bank, K&G. They've, uh, announced that they're going to file an IPO. But also in that announcement was the, their plan to add more than 500 stores over the next decade.

Karen Jacobs: That includes 250 Men's Wearhouse, 200 JoS. A. Banks and 50 K&G stores. Now, the company currently, um, operates more than 1,000 stores, and it is rebuilding its business after, uh, closing hundreds of locations and entering bankruptcy in 2020. So just, uh, just six years ago. The store plan might be more consequential because it is a bet that physical retail still matters in menswear, particularly for formal events and clothing that customers want, um, altered 500 stores isn't, isn't going to crop up overnight and, uh, of course execution will matter.

Karen Jacobs: But if, uh, the company gets these locations, the formats and the assortments right, uh, I think this expansion could substantially increase its reach.

Suzy Davidkhanian: It's interesting 'cause for me originally, like, the news was all about the IPO, so it truly was under the radar, the idea that- Yeah ... they're opening more stores.

Suzy Davidkhanian: I think the underlying, not ... I don't know that most people believe the store is dead, but what I don't know is, and this is the question mark and the bet they're making, is are people really getting dressed up as often? And when you buy a tux, do you need to keep buying it? And is the wedding business, the back to office, like, has the dress code changed again significantly that they can absorb so many more stores when they already have such a large fleet?

Suzy Davidkhanian: It'll be interesting to see what happens. Becky, who's yours?

Becky Schilling: So mine is Bath & Body Works. They launched a new f- new fruit fusion line in July, and, uh, while everyone's talking about the celebrity ambassador and creator- creative partner Hilary Duff, the real under the radar move is with a completely different retailer, which is Amazon.

Becky Schilling: So these products are available at Bath & Body Works in their stores and online, but it's also the first time where they are being debuting this product on their Amazon storefront. So you've got this mall-era brand that spent years treating Amazon like it was the enemy, and they're quietly using their biggest celebrity moment of the year to test and see whether they can actually win on Amazon.

Suzy Davidkhanian: So Becky, did they launch only in Amazon, or did they launch con- like, bo- everything at the same time?

Becky Schilling: Everything at the same time.

Suzy Davidkhanian: Got it. Yeah, it's interesting. Everybody was fighting Amazon, but they realized there's so much traffic. You can't think of some sort of distribution strategy through Amazon.

Suzy Davidkhanian: But it's not frequent that it's the exact same products at the exact same time, so that'll be interesting to see. Blake, what about you?

Blake Droesch: Uh, I'm gonna go with Hasbro, which debuted Play-Doh for adults recently. Oh,

Suzy Davidkhanian: I love this.

Blake Droesch: Um, it's- I can see the pictures ... called, it's called Blooms by Play-Doh. That's the name of the brand, and they've got adult crafting and home decor products.

Blake Droesch: I think it's a great idea because there are so many grown adults I know that are really into Legos, and apparently, like, there's a huge resale market for old Legos. And, you know, as we all know, Legos are not cheap. Um, and they, I think, win a ton of business outside of their core segment, which is obviously children.

Blake Droesch: And I think Hasbro is testing to find out, can that work in other toy categories, right? I think it's a really natural segue, uh, going into, into Play-Doh. There's something about it that is kind of like, uh, DIY, home crafty. Like, it has an element to it that I think could work, uh, with adults. There's probably gonna be- need to be a pretty big, uh, marketing push around it because I think until I really went digging, uh, for interesting things that retailers had done, this didn't really come up.

Blake Droesch: So it wasn't really on my radar as a consumer. Um, but I am very curious to see, uh, if this catches on.

Suzy Davidkhanian: Well, for me this was, like, so cute 'cause it's kinda like slime for adults, and slime is still really big for kids. And there's this whole adulting craze that, as you said, it's like everybody is ... E- every Crayola, every childhood brand tapping into nostalgia is thinking about how do we help with hobbies and analog sort of moments.

Suzy Davidkhanian: So I love it. I also thought you guys might talk about Home Depot and how they, they're doing some interesting loyalty expansion with other partners, including a food, Jimmy John's, where if you're a member of the Jimmy John's loyalty program and the Home ... But it has to be the Pro Extra, so the, um, construction people.

Suzy Davidkhanian: I forgot what they're called. Yeah,

Blake Droesch: I wanted to, to, um, use that as one of mine, but I couldn't figure out what bucket it would've fallen into.

Karen Jacobs: Yeah. Same, same here.

Suzy Davidkhanian: I put it in under the radar, but I mean, I guess it could've been in a, a lot of buckets. Just nobody n- really knew about it unless you're following the news.

Suzy Davidkhanian: But it's very clever.

Blake Droesch: Yeah, I agree.

Suzy Davidkhanian: Anyways, the greatest under the radar move is Play-Doh. Blake?

Blake Droesch: That's right. Couldn't get swept.

Suzy Davidkhanian: Well. It's ...

Becky Schilling: This is the right, this is the right ... Suzy made the right choice on this one.

Suzy Davidkhanian: So that's a wrap. Let's go back through the awards. Award one, number one, most impactful campaign went to Nike for their Off The Script campaign.

Suzy Davidkhanian: Award number two, best in real life initiative, was LEGO, who went all in on the World Cup. And number three, greatest under the radar move, with Play-Doh leaning really into the adulting craze. Uh, that's all the time we have for today. Thank you, Karen.

Karen Jacobs: Thanks a lot.

Suzy Davidkhanian: Thank you, Becky.

Karen Jacobs: Happy

Becky Schilling: to be back.

Suzy Davidkhanian: And thank you, Blake.

Blake Droesch: Thanks for having me.

Suzy Davidkhanian: And thanks to the team who edits the podcast and, of course, to our listeners. Please leave a rating or review, and remember to subscribe. I'll see you next Wednesday for more Reimagining Retail. And we'll be back with the UMRES at the end of August. And on Friday, you can join Marcus for another episode of Behind the Numbers.