CLIENT STRATEGY
Repositioning BR as a lifestyle brand
Banana Republic is a global upscale fashion and lifestyle brand owned by The Gap. With over 400 company-operated and franchise stores across the Americas, Europe, and Asia and a loyal customer base, BR was in an enviable position in the market. Since the pandemic, BR’s business struggled as consumers shifted away from buying workwear to preferring more casual styles. As the world began to adapt to a new normal in how people work, are entertained, attend events, and travel, BR moved to reintroduce its brand and fashion line to fit elevated lifestyles, rather than merely a place to find discounts and outfits for the office.
BR relied on my team and I to elevate the brand as a premier destination for attainable luxury and heritage classics, foster audience engagement, and deliver more profitable transactions.
REBRANDING BASED ON THE BR ORIGIN STORY
The rebrand was a restoration to BR’s authentic elevated and premium heritage with a twist that appealed to high value customers. BR significantly scaled back ~75% of the promotions it would offer by only keeping the semi-annual ‘Friends & Family Event’ and end-of-year holiday sale. Additionally, the specialty brand segmented its customers so that more price-conscious consumers shifted to Banana Republic Factory while the specialty brand appealed to those who prioritize fashion and lifestyle.
We drove BR to differentiate the brand among key competitors, amplify the brand’s and values, and engage with customers through mixed reality experiences and high-impact opportunities to drive an emotional connection.
MY ROLE EXPLAINED
In my role as client strategist, I helped augment BR’s premium positioning, and ensure smooth communication across internal and external stakeholders, launch new lines, and maximize performance during major promotions.
Pitched new business opportunities to the client
Pitched VogueWorld to Banana Republic as the media activation to execute an experiential marketing approach during New York Fashion Week in Fall 2022. Centering on the attendance of luxury audiences covering our target demographic to the first edition of this in-person and digital event was key to sell this exclusive opportunity to the client. Marketing performance skyrocketed with a 10% lift on Banana Republic Google Search the week after VogueWorld. The partnership delivered 13M+ impressions and 68K+ brand-specific engagements with Banana Republic’s messaging and product. Due to the high volume of search queries for the products in the show, Banana Republic set a landing page only for the items in VogueWorld; which had the highest sales of the season.
Led client communications
I owned the client relationship as the main point of contact for the lifecycle of the projects through weekly brand strategy consultation calls from idea origination, pitch, launch, and on-going data reporting. Providing a cross-channel perspective of full-funnel marketing plans tailored toward the client's audience personas was key along the process. My management and knowledge of all team deliverables, project goals, expectations and timelines led me to successfully spearhead all client communications.
Introduced New Product Lines
In Spring 2022, BR launched BR Baby, a new collection for 0 - 24 months old, centered on function first, comfort, and 100% sustainability. We developed a full-funnel marketing strategy targeting new parents and gift givers with custom editorial, display, paid social, print, and other turnkey activations including:
i. ‘BR Baby Sample Registry’: Featured on Babylist, the registry allowed users to add items to their registry and purchase directly.
ii. 'Romper shopping guide': Created to accentuate the collection’s sustainable design.
iii. Experiential Activations: Various events throughout California that generated 9.3M social media impressions through activities like getting monogrammed onesies.
Reimagined Promotions
To support BR’s Semi-Annual Friends & Family Event, we delivered a comprehensive performance strategy in the United States and Canada that optimized users' ad experiences across the entire customer journey. We sent top SKUs to editorial partners to ensure our affiliate program was focused on available products with profitable margins, and the campaign tapped influencers to create anticipation, enthusiasm, and shopping behavior.
IMPACT
As client strategist, I led the rebranding and repositioning of Banana Republic through human-centered design: digital and event marketing by managing the full-funnel team and the client relationship. Our efforts propelled BR to new heights and demonstrated the appeal of the brands new products, leading performance across the entire Gap Inc. portfolio within one year of rebranding.
Net demand for the core brand was up 44% YoY, the highest of their fiscal year, including the holiday season. Overall, Banana Republic has been a bright spot for Gap Inc., which reported two consecutive quarters of growth — 24% and 9% in Q2 and Q3 of 2022, respectively — on the brand’s success.
Through a full-funnel, cross-channel approach, gone are the discounts of the past, as the brand continues to engage audiences and find growth with a fresh look and an elevated story.