Rebranding

Enough. Is. Enough.

That was the basis for JC Penney's massive re-branding attempt in 2012. Forever, JC Penney was known for having blow out sales with countless direct mail coupons. They were all about the sale.

In 2012 they attempted to re-brand by offering everyday low prices and no more sales promotions. The problem with this was that no one understood what the new pricing meant. There were different levels and colors and consumers felt they were now paying more than they did in the coupon era of JC Penney. 

JC Penney took away the major characteristic to their brand. Especially because their target market was middle to lower class professionals who did not have the disposable income traditional department store shoppers possessed. Their customers would wait for those coupons and magazines in the mail and plan their next trip to JCP when they were stocked up on coupons. When the infamous "sales" were eliminated from the marketing plan, consumers were no longer driven to stores with the thrill of chasing a sale.

JC Penney has since attempted to re-integrate their characteristic sales and direct mail promotions. Multiple attempts and multiple CEO's have tried to revive this company. Unfortunately, they have not rebuilt from the $985 million loss in 2012.