For any brand, having a consistent image is key.
Consumers go to Urban Outfitters for an eclectic style or J.Crew for a preppy style. Each brand is produced with a key asthetic that it plans to stick with.
However, some brands fall off the path or think they need a revival.
The revival usually involves a brand ditching its original executive or creative director and getting a new one. This has been seen numerous times with brands like Coach, J.C. Penney and dELiA*s.
Some brands have the ability to become successful from an executive change through reviving its designs and styles.
Coach is an example of this. When Reed Krakoff, the brand’s creative director for 16 years, announced he would step down, Coach hired Stuart Vevers two months later to replace him. While Vevers has plenty of experience designing for the brand, Loewe, it does not mean he knows Coach’s ascetic that has lasted for 16 years.
This has become obvious with Vevers changing Coach bags’ classic shape, creating new leather designs and colors, updating the accessories line and possibly creating a ready-to-wear line.
While it’s positive Vevers has come in to update the brand, it’s appearing he is trying to make Coach appeal to a younger demographic. Coach is known for its classic, older style that appeals to an older group of women. This makes sense for its expensive price tag.
Apparel design senior Chelsea Harrell said profit is the biggest thing when a brand changes executives. If the brand revamps to reach a younger age group, will that group be able to afford the brand?
“I think it’s a good idea, but I can’t afford [Coach],” Harrell said.
While some brands receive some success from changing executives, many don’t experience any of that.
“J.C. Penney changed their executive and it had absolutely no positive effect on their brand,” said apparel design senior Ellyn McGlauchin.
When J.C. Penney started losing money, it attempted multiple different brand revivals by changing executives, appealing to same-sex couples and changing its coupon policy. McGlauchin said none of this has helped them, and the brand is basically bleeding money.
Tween brand dELiA*s also attempted a new executive and failed.
McGlauchin said Tracy Gardner is best known for her work with J.Crew, which she left to become a stay-at-home-mom before leaving retirement to help dELiA*s. Unfortunately, the help was a little too late. McGlauchin said the company will be shutting down in the coming months.
She said the majority of the time changing executives only hurts the brand.
“It seems lately it’s been a lost cause. … recently I haven’t seen much success with it,” McGlauchin said.
This is obvious with the amount of failure stories compared to success stories. If companies want to change executives to save its brand, they need to do so in a way that keeps the brand’s asthetic, but still produces sales.
Otherwise, they should just call it quits.
Meg Ryan is a 20-year-old mass communication sophomore from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Contact her at @The_MegRyan