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Lane Bryant Rebrands to Reconnect

By: Dwayne W. Waite Jr.

Every now and again a brand needs to reintroduce itself to its customer base. The reasons abound as to why; sometimes a brand has no need or demand to send information. Other times the customer base has slowly crept away from the brand, and before anyone knows it, the relationship needs some air under it. Or the brand slowly becomes less important in the eyes of its customers.

Lane Bryant, the women's retailer more known for its plus sizes, has decided that the time has come to reconnect with its customer base.

Lane Bryant is launching a $10-million campaign with the help of New York-based agency MODCo Creative. MODCo has worked on Century 21, Vera Wang, and several other fashion companies in the past. The campaign features new logos for Lane Bryant and its lingerie brand Cacique, in-store and direct marketing activities, social media, and a revamped website along with traditional print and billboard creative.

This is Lane Bryant's first campaign that features print since 2007, and according to Kantar Media, this campaign is the most expensive the brand has launched since that same year. The campaign will be targeting women ages 30–45 who wear sizes 14–28. The CMO of the brand says that they want to be aspirational, yet relatable, during the campaign. The goal is to show their market that you can be confident and happy while wearing trendy clothes as part of your dynamic lifestyle.

It's about that time. The article notes that during a recession, plus-size sales usually decrease more sharply than other departments, and are also slower to recover. Also, in the past couple of years, the plus-size fashion market has shrunk from 20% to 16%. This recession hit the women's fashion market hard overall, so it is no wonder that many other retailers have decided against boosting their offerings, even though the plus-size market is growing fast.

Another interesting piece about the campaign is its return to print. The article points out that Lane Bryant's customers are "engaged" with print, so it will appear in magazines like Essence, Glamour, and Marie Claire. The ads will start running in September, with the billboard component starting in November.

So will the campaign work? Many people are excited about it. We think it'll work too. There's been a shift happening in our society where the "size 0" label no longer equals sexy and glamorous. Dove started the wave by telling women to be comfortable in their own skin. If Lane Bryant can show them that not only can you be comfortable but also sexy and confident in your own skin, that sounds like a winning formula.

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About the Author

Dwayne W. Waite Jr. is partner and principal at JDW: The Charlotte Agency, a marketing and advertising shop in Charlotte, NC. He enjoys consumer behavior, economics, and football.

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