“Every Day Matters” aka “Every Sale Matters” at JCPenney
JCPenney has announced a new company positioning statement – “Every Day Matters” – which is intended to be a broad overlay of their company’s initiatives from now through 2011.
“The past few years have been increasingly successful for JCPenney and we are once again one of the top retailers in the country. Now is the ideal time to build on what we have achieved and accelerate our growth,” said Myron E. (Mike) Ullman, III, chairman and chief executive officer of JCPenney. “To do this, we are capitalizing on our greatest strength and competitive advantage: the spirit and talent of our 151,000 Associates. Through their daily actions, our Associates will bring ‘Every Day Matters’ to life by assisting customers in celebrating and appreciating the every day moments in their lives.”
They are launching a whole new campaign starting this Sunday during the Academy Awards, including new television spots, one introducing the new positioning, and the other to announce their new lingerie brand, Ambrielle. Then they will also release a new spot targeted toward their Hispanic consumers. All, of course, touting “Every Day Matters.” The company is also investing in improving their store environments, and training for their 151,000 employees.
So what the heck is a positioning statement?
According to MarketingProfs.com, a positioning statement is “the heartbeat of an effective communications plan.” It tells the reader who the company is, what business its in and who it serves, positions the company against its competition, and describes the company’s unique selling proposition. Basically, it differentiates a company from every other company. This statement drives all the company’s communications.
Does JCPenney’s positioning statement do the job?
Undoubtedly, JCPenney spent loads of money on this positioning statement, and probably did lots of consumer research to support it. Does “Every Day Matters” tell me who JCPenney is? Well, it tells me that they are going for the emotions, and trying to create an experience, which may set them apart from their competition. Does it tell me what they do? Yes, “matter” is a noun referring to objects that have mass and occupy space, so JCPenney is in the “matters” business. But, come on. “Every Day Matters” could be the positioning statement for a hospice care service or a beauty salon. It doesn’t tell me that they are a department store.
Does “Every Day Matters” really matter to me as a consumer?
I understand where they are going with this. They want to express a feeling of care and concern for their customers. They want to say what matters to me matters to them. Their CEO says that they are striving to be more relevant to consumers by providing us with better products and a better shopping experience. But, even if that’s true, can JCPenney help me make every day matter more to me? My sarcastic side says no. To me, it means “Every day you shop at JCPenney matters to us.”
I will shop at JCPenney. There are good values, and good products to be found there. But I will probably not shop there MORE because they are now telling me that “Every Day Matters.” I knew that before.
JCPenney, Positioning Statement, Shopping Experience
March 22nd, 2007 at 8:13 am
I shop at Penney’s, too, but I had an entirely different take on “Every Day Matters.”
I assumed they were saying that the clothes people wear for everyday activities like work, shopping, travel, and child care MATTER…not just fashion statements for the rich and anorexic. That’s a retail position we all hope to see, of course, so I decided they were saying, “We’re your regular clothes store,” which often, they are.
I like the campaign. Their everyday clothes are indeed useful, comfortable, and often fresh-looking. (It is the only “department store” in our tiny town, to be fair, beyond Wal-Mart).
The jury is still out on how the campaign works for sales nationwide. I find I’m pulling for them because my favorite jeans came from there, and I want them to succeed…so I can get more.