Retail Marketing

The last time Walmart refreshed its brand, the Great Recession loomed large, the iPhone was only a year old and a hyphen still split the retailer’s legal name. In January 2025, the big-box store unveiled the latest update to its visual identity, one meant to embrace the growing role that digital and cross-channel capabilities play in an industry that has seen its makeup altered by technology over the past two decades. 

“It’s more about aligning the visual expression with how the brand has evolved since 2008,” said David Hartman, Walmart’s vice president of creative, of the changes. “What that means, in a more practical sense, is really establishing ourself as truly an omnichannel retailer versus just a brick-and-mortar retailer and being able to serve the customer no matter where or how they want to encounter the brand.”

Included in the 2025 refresh are more vibrant yellows and blues (technically True Blue and Spark Yellow), a bigger emphasis on the sunburst-like “spark” icon Walmart implemented in 2008 and a new wordmark echoing one found on a trucker hat frequently sported by company founder Sam Walton, including on the cover of his book, “Made in America.” The Walton nod was inspired by Hartman’s team at Walmart Creative Studio taking a deep dive into the corporate archives to find something that could connect heritage to the brand’s current vision. The new typography is a custom design based on the font Antique Olive that Walmart is calling Everyday Sans. 

“There is a great, unique origin story about that typeface, its roots in our past and how we’re bringing it forward to represent the brand where it is today,” said Hartman. 

The Walmart spark appears largely the same as before but will play a different role in branding, with wider separation from the Walmart name on assets like storefronts. It’s a move intended to reinforce the logo’s status as a standalone symbol that can shore up Walmart’s brand equity, according to Hartman. Other retailers have created easy visual shorthands for their brands, such as Target’s bullseye or the Amazon smile.  

Jones Knowles Ritchie assisted with Walmart’s brand identity overhaul while Landor partnered on aspects like store executions. Publicis Groupe handles core marketing and advertising services. 

Digital-first evolution

While Walmart’s makeover is perhaps less dramatic than some past tweaks, such as ditching its hyphen and bowing the spark, it speaks to changing priorities for a company traditionally known for sprawling superstores.

“It’s not a wholesale reinvention of the Walmart identity. It’s very much an evolution versus a revolution,” said Hartman.

Walmart’s focus on digital has accelerated since the launch of membership service Walmart+ in 2020, a response to Amazon, and the larger consumer gravitation toward online shopping, which has supported the firm’s bigger crack into areas like selling advertising.

Walmart’s e-commerce sales in the U.S. were up 22% in Q3 of fiscal year 2025, extending a run that has dazzled investors. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is an adage that could generally apply to brand marketing, but the company still saw aspects of its appearance where modernization felt important and spent the past year-plus hashing out what those changes should look like.    

In a press statement, Walmart U.S. CMO William White described a goal of becoming an “inspirational, digital retailer,” comments echoed elsewhere in the refresh announcement. 

“The updated brand identity will help Walmart build credibility and connection, become known for its convenient digital-first services and be seen as a more modern, culturally dynamic brand,” states a press release. 

Vying for vibrancy

On the brick-and-mortar front, Walmart is introducing full-colored illustrated murals into store locations to add a pop of storytelling and aid customers in navigating different departments, a shift away from a previous system that relied on icons and line work. Some of these elements have been present at Walmart’s experimental Store 4108 in Springdale, Arkansas, since October 2024, but will roll out more widely in the months ahead. 

“We’ve heard from customers who are shopping in that [4108] store and the store associates that it’s really helped improve the overall customer experience,” said Hartman. “Customers describe it as feeling more warm and more inviting when they enter the store.”  

The embrace of elaborate, brighter visuals is part of a larger industry shift away from the minimalism that underpinned many branding efforts throughout the 2010s. For a rebrand in 2023, Pepsi introduced electric blues and deeper blacks, a different wordmark and decorative packaging that pivoted away from a previous focus on simplicity.  

In other areas, Walmart’s aim is to deliver greater consistency and a user-friendly experience across channels like its app and Walmart.com, some of the earliest places where the refresh will go live. A modular grid system for browsing will display product images, photography and headlines, among other tweaks to what Hartman termed Walmart’s “brand operating system.”

“When [consumers] encounter the brand on the app, what they see from a product expression and a brand identity looks very similar or close to the same as what they see in our marketing and what they see in our store experience,” said Hartman of the refresh. “When you think about digital and omnichannel, we want to make those visual connections as tight as we possibly can so it feels like a seamless experience to the customer.”

The new look for Walmart will factor into its Q1 2025 marketing campaign and activations, Hartman said, without offering specifics.

“We’re going to be very strategic about what assets get transferred and when,” added Hartman. “It’s not going to be an overnight change. It’ll definitely be something that happens over time.”

Pacsun was early to jump on TikTok, fast accruing over 2 million followers on an app that has become a crucial means for connecting with the brand’s target audience of 16-to-24-year olds. Five years since joining the platform, the mall retailer continues to make TikTok part of its marketing to Gen Z, and increasingly, a lever for sales, though the gold rush may soon be coming to an end. 

Like many businesses, Pacsun is weighing what will happen if the video-sharing app, which is owned by Chinese technology firm ByteDance, gets banned in the U.S. over national security concerns. The possibility that TikTok could go dark appears likely following a series of legal setbacks, setting the stage for a change that would shift around a significant chunk of ad spending while upending a thriving creator ecosystem. TikTok’s global ad revenue was forecast by researcher WARC to top $23 billion in 2024, but the app’s real power is as a trendsetter that can make or break products virtually overnight. 

At the National Retail Federation’s Big Show in January 2025, Pacsun leadership sounded confident that the TikTok model of reaching consumers with addictive, authentic-feeling and shoppable videos could be replicated elsewhere, but the near-term pain to creators — which the platform has called its “lifeblood” — will be sharp.

“I’m not concerned about that way of engaging with the consumer going away,” said Pacsun CEO Brieane Olson during an NRF keynote talk with CNBC reporter Melissa Repko, adding that supporting the creator community is part of the company’s values-based approach. “There is a lot of concern for those creators about the immediacy of what’s next right away should [the ban] happen.”

Keeping an open platform

Privately-held Pacsun has started to see success getting people to purchase products directly from social apps, a model that is popular in other markets like Asia but has been slow to catch on in the U.S. Pacsun advised on the development of TikTok Shop on the back end and was among the e-commerce marketplace’s earliest partners, a relationship that has paid off as the offering gains traction following its formal 2023 launch. 

TikTok Shop generated more than $100 million in single-day sales on Black Friday, tripling its take from the same day the year prior. In 18 months leading up to January, Pacsun sold nearly half a million pairs of jeans through TikTok livestreaming alone, according to Olson. 

“It’s a really significant number,” the executive said of the denim bonanza. “What’s more interesting, I think, is the halo [effect] that we’ve created in our stores, on all of our other channels and in our community of people who want to get the jeans that they saw on TikTok.”

Pacsun resonates on TikTok not only through close ties to the app itself but also through its approach to creator partnerships, Olson explained. Rather than relying on a small pool of high-profile influencers to hawk products, the retailer keeps what the CEO described as an “open platform,” letting everyday users talk up apparel like jeans. One account that recently helped drive sales for a model of baggy denim had only about 5,000 followers, a drop in the bucket compared to the upper echelons of social media stardom, where a single sponsored post can come with eye-popping price tags. 

“There’s no approval process and you can be an ambassador for the denim and tell your story in whatever way, zero controls,” said Olson. 

The ability to rely on TikTok creators for transacting could be fatally hamstrung, and many of the app’s most ardent posters don’t seem to have much in the way of a contingency plan beyond pleading for their fans to follow them elsewhere. There is no shortage of TikTok competitors to turn to — Pacsun also works with rivals like YouTube Shopping and Pinterest, the latter of which played a central role in its 2024 fall campaign — but replicating the same magic may take time as users mull where next to spend their hours scrolling algorithmically curated feeds.

Olson noted that Pacsun used to run livestreaming through its own website back in 2019 before experimenting with Meta Platforms and finally taking advantage of TikTok. Her hope was that someone in a dorm room or indeed on the nearby NRF exhibitor floor was in the process of coming up with their own take on livestreaming social video.  

“From a social commerce standpoint, that will continue to be a focus, irrespective of channel and what might happen,” said Olson. 

Staying committed

Pacsun aims to keep its finger on the cultural pulse amid these changes with a continued premium on social listening. Those capabilities have helped affirm the retailer’s larger positioning around purpose-driven marketing at a time when many other businesses are pulling back on diversity, equity and inclusion commitments.

“Our market is Gen Z and our forthcoming market is Gen Alpha, and they are a value-driven, purpose-driven generation,” said Olson. “They want us as a brand to rally around creating a better place for them in the world, and they’re going to ultimately vote for those brands when they make their purchases.”

Having a strong brand purpose could help Pacsun retain a loyal audience whether or not TikTok is banned. Olson pushed back against the perception that Gen Z is not particularly brand loyal, suggesting that marketers miss connecting with the generation on a values level and by failing to view its members as co-collaborators on marketing initiatives. 

“It’s actually a really interesting time and an interesting opportunity for brands to take a step back and really ask the question of who is in control, who has the power in the relationship?” the executive said.

Sponsored content

By Fetch

Rewards have historically been considered a promotional tactic, part of loyalty, CRM or retention initiatives funded by trade and shopper marketing budgets.

It’s a valid classification for single-brand programs and rewards platforms that focus on discount-driven conversion, but in the retail-media era, brands are increasingly treating rewards like a scalable performance advertising channel.

Fetch, America’s Rewards App, is the go-to partner for brands across CPG, restaurant and retail to acquire and retain consumers. On Fetch, advertising doesn’t disrupt – it delights. The ads are the content, and brands are the center of joy. More than 12 million highly engaged consumers use Fetch every month, sharing their full purchase history in exchange for personalized offers and rewards. The platform captures $179 billion in consumer spending annually, giving Fetch an unparalleled understanding of consumer behavior across all channels and retailers.

Fetch isn’t just a promotions tool — it’s a full-funnel, performance-driven advertising platform that leverages patented artificial intelligence and machine learning to acquire and retain consumers at scale. Unlike discount-based promotions that focus solely on price-sensitive shoppers, Fetch uses purchase-based targeting to deliver personalized rewards that drive real behavior change without devaluing brand equity.

For example, a consumer downloads Fetch because the app offers rewards for their favorite brand of coffee. As the platform delivers value, engagement becomes a habit — scanning receipts, discovering new brands and unlocking even more ways to earn. Over time, consumers' connection to brands on Fetch deepens, turning a routine purchase into a rewarding, loyalty-driven experience.

A recently commissioned media mix measurement study from Nielsen confirmed Fetch as the most efficient advertising channel for consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands, outperforming TV, social media and online video. The study found that Fetch campaigns delivered an average incremental Return on Ad Spend (iROAS) of $2.64—higher than TV ($2.50), social media ($2.29), online video ($2.14) and print ($1.91).

But Fetch’s impact goes beyond efficiency — it drives real consumer action. Fetch contributes an average of 15% of total media-driven sales for CPG food brands, a 40% higher impact than other digital media platforms like Facebook, TikTok, Pinterest, YouTube and Twitter/X. Only television surpassed Fetch in total sales contribution, making Fetch the top-performing digital channel in the study.

Fetch doesn’t just outperform other channels — it enhances them. Nielsen found that adding Fetch to multi-channel campaigns significantly boosted performance:

• Fetch + Print: 4.4% higher sales lift
• Fetch + Online Video: 3.5% higher sales lift
• Fetch + TV: 3.0% higher sales lift
• Fetch + Social: 2.9% higher sales lift

With Fetch, rewards aren’t just an incentive — they’re a measurable, scalable way to acquire, retain and create lifelong consumers more efficiently than traditional digital ads. As consumers demand more value and brands seek better ways to engage them, rewards have shifted from a nice-to-have perk to a must-have tactic in the modern advertising playbook.

By turning passive audiences into active participants who are compensated for the value of their attention, the idea of rewards as a better ad creates a new, consumer-centric paradigm for personalized advertising.

Like many retailers chasing social media-crazed Gen Z, American Eagle pumps out a lot of marketing, to the tune of about 500 pieces of content per week, according to CMO Craig Brommers. A social media executive recently told Brommers that he should prepare for that figure to quintuple in the next few years, spurred by the fast-scrolling nature of endless feeds. 

It’s not hard to see how generative artificial intelligence (AI), often pitched around unlocking newfound levels of scale and efficiency, could be appealing to a leader like Brommers who is under growing pressure to crank up the production machine. American Eagle is still approaching the emergent technology with a degree of caution when it comes to creative. The company remains in its “dabbling” phase with AI, a potentially more common sentiment coming off a year that produced several high-profile marketing blunders in the broader industry. Coca-Cola, Toys R Us and Skechers were among some of the brands that received harsh responses to their AI-generated advertising efforts in 2024.

“What I worry about is the potential of generic creative. I think that there’ve been some very big brands — I won’t name them — that have come out with some AI creativity in their recent campaigns and gotten blasted,” said Brommers during a panel at the National Retail Federation’s Big Show in January 2025. Brommers was joined by a retail media executive from PayPal for a conversation moderated by Publicis Groupe on AI’s impact on digital advertising spend.

“Being generic, especially when we have to compete with the big boys and big girls at Amazon, Walmart, et cetera, we have to stand out brand-first, and that will be a trick,” Brommers added.

Keeping it real

Brommers’ deliberate approach to AI-generated creative is not unheard of, but stood out at a trade show where new technologies can fall subject to the hyperbole hype train. The executive emphasized that consumers value American Eagle and sister brand Aerie for their authenticity and representation, areas where AI often falls short and can even exacerbate existing human biases.  

Aerie, which positions itself around inclusivity, implemented a policy to stop retouching photos of its models nearly a decade ago while American Eagle in 2024 was named the most bipartisan brand across categories in the U.S. by YouGov. Delegating more work around these lines to automation is ultimately a “scary” prospect, according to Brommers. 

“For our brands, both American Eagle and our sister brand, Aerie, we are foundational on being real,” said Brommers. “We were voted the most bipartisan brand in the U.S., not just in retail, [but] every brand out there, more than Coca-Cola, even. That’s purposeful. We do that very hard. How does technology play into that?”

That said, Brommers, a retail veteran whose previous gigs include Gap, Abercrombie & Fitch and Calvin Klein, acknowledged that AI in a larger sense will be transformative, describing it as the third big shift in his career after the dot-com boom and monetization of social media. About 40% of American Eagle’s media business is already supported by AI, a figure the executive expects will climb higher in the near term. 

“We’re trying to find the right way in from a creative perspective, even though below the line — or in this case, media buying — we’ve been pretty darn aggressive,” Brommers said.

Unlocking precision

One prospect that did seem to excite Brommers was AI’s ability to enable a greater degree of targeting precision and personalization. American Eagle bills itself as Gen Z’s No. 1 retailer, but the CMO noted that Gen Z is a demographic that contains “hundreds and hundreds and hundreds” of different audience segments that can have varied interests.

“The opportunity for us, again, is relevancy,” said Brommers. “We have a big marketing budget at American Eagle, and while I think we’re probably one of the most inventive in our industry, there is still a ton of waste.”

Climate change is another issue that Brommers hopes microtargeting might help untangle. Fall 2024 was the warmest on record in the U.S., impacting a retailer that places a heavy focus on selling jeans. American Eagle’s comparable sales increased 3% year over year in Q3 2024 while revenue dropped 1% to $1.3 billion. The company recently raised its Q4 profit outlook and said holiday sales landed above expectations. 

AI’s full marketing potential is still yet to be realized, but Brommers argued that being willing to embrace failure and learn from mistakes is a crucial part of the process. He described the rise of the tech as “humbling,” a feeling other CMOs may share as they’re tasked with mastering a complicated piece of technology and proving it can drive business results.

“This has the ability to be a game-changing force,” said Brommers of AI. “There will be definite winners and losers when you look back at what’s going to transpire probably in the next 24 to 36 months.”

JCPenney has appointed independent Mischief @ No Fixed Address as its creative agency, the latest step in a $1 billion self-funded turnaround plan for the department store chain, per details shared with Marketing Dive. The agency shop, which also goes by Mischief, is leading the development of a new brand platform for JCPenney and will tackle other “big swing” creative projects in 2025. Five-year-old Mischief is known for its disruptive, headline-grabbing marketing.  

JCPenney is trying to modernize while not losing sight of its heritage and focus on working class shoppers. The company wants to redefine its brand image by hiring Mischief, a rising star in the agency sector that has established a reputation for in-your-face marketing. The appointment signals that the department store chain is seeking a bolder, more innovative approach as it fights to win back price-conscious shoppers. 

The Mischief partnership also follows JCPenney naming industry veteran Marisa Thalberg as consulting chief brand and marketing officer in October 2024. The executive, who has past experience at brands like Taco Bell and Lowe’s, is positioning JCPenney’s moves as the start of a “great American comeback story.” Mischief was drawn to Thalberg’s reputation as a bold and brave marketer, according to the agency’s Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer Greg Hahn. 

Thalberg indicated that one early initiative for Mischief could be better highlighting JCPenney’s product assortment. Thalberg has prioritized tapping into a sense of discovery among JCPenney customers in her new role.

“JCPenney has incredibly loyal customers, yet there is such opportunity for more people to awaken to all there is in store for them — literally — that they likely don’t realize,” said Thalberg in a statement. “We are going to showcase the unexpected, in unexpected ways.” 

JCPenney’s marketing of late has put a heavy emphasis on value as it sharpens its focus on working families. In September 2024, the company brought back “Really Big Deal Reveals,” an effort that runs around Amazon’s “Thursday Night Football” and shares weekly promotions with the help of celebrity ambassadors. JCPenney’s in-house creative agency is behind the streaming effort, with assists from Camp Lucky and Jersey Legends Productions.

The agency switch-up and appointment of Thalberg are part of a $1 billion turnaround plan JCPenney implemented in 2023 that touches on areas of business including marketing, merchandising, supply chain, operations, store renovations and loyalty. The self-funded refresh has yet to deliver the desired results. 

The J.C. Penney Company, which uses the brand name JCPenney in marketing and advertising materials, saw revenues drop 9.2% year over year to $1.5 billion in its second quarter ended Aug. 3, 2024, while traffic was soft over the period. The J.C. Penney Company is owned by Simon Property Group and Brookfield Asset Management, a pair of mall operators that bought the brand out of bankruptcy in 2020.

J.Crew Group has appointed Julia Collier as CMO of its J. Crew brand, effective Jan. 6, 2025, according to a press release. Collier joins the retailer from Skims, the shapewear and apparel company co-founded by Kim Kardashian, Emma Grede and Jens Grede in 2019. Collier will oversee J. Crew’s brand marketing and creative strategy, reporting directly to J. Crew Group CEO Libby Wadle and working out of New York. Collier replaces Derek Yarbrough, who acted as marketing chief of the J. Crew and Madewell brands until his departure from the business in January 2024.

“In Julia, we have found a distinguished marketing leader who brings an ideal combination of brand building expertise, fashion industry knowledge, and passion for culturally-relevant marketing strategies that will drive even greater engagement,” Wadle said in a press statement. “Her versatile background, proven leadership capabilities, and forward-thinking approach will be a valuable addition to our team as we continue to build on our momentum.”

The hire indicates J. Crew is seeking a marketing leader with experience on the disruptor side of the business. The executive joined Skims prior to its launch and built out a marketing organization of 40 employees over the last five years, along with spearheading key initiatives that have turned Skims into a trendy name. 

Collier in 2023 helped ink a multiyear sponsorship deal to make Skims the official underwear partner of the NBA, WNBA and USA Basketball, a move that followed the debut of the company’s first line of men’s clothing. She also oversaw Skims’ social media and influencer marketing functions and coordinated deals with celebrity ambassadors. Other Skims partnerships struck during Collier’s tenure include collaborations with Fendi, Swarovski and Dolce & Gabbana.

“She brings an extensive network of relationships and a relentless approach that complements the world-class teams we have built at J.Crew,” said Kevin Ulrich, chairman of J.Crew Group’s board of directors, in a press statement. “As the J.Crew brand enters its next chapter, Julia’s sense for what is both current and authentic will accelerate the growth and relevance of the brand.”

Privately held J. Crew made other adjustments to its marketing strategy in 2024. In February 2024, it appointed PMG as its media agency of record, seeking to leverage the Texas-based shop’s data-driven platform, Alli. 

For retailers looking to claim their share of more than $1.5 trillion in expected holiday retail sales, the few weeks leading up to Thanksgiving represent the most wonderful time of the year. That is certainly true for Macy’s as it attempts to finish 2024 strong and get back on track amid declining sales and a failed takeover attempt.

To celebrate the season, Macy’s in October 2024 kicked off a holiday campaign that anthropomorphizes its annual gift guide as a human Gift Guide. The expert curator role is played by actor Alison Brie (“GLOW,” “Community”) in a series of ads airing across TV, digital and social channels, including YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. 

“From a consumer standpoint, these beginnings of the seasons represent so much hope and excitement, but they're also pretty stressful,” said CMO Sharon Otterman. “Since we are known for our humanity and relatability, why not make it a gift guide in terms of a person versus just a paper form to really be able to bring it to life?”

The holiday campaign and the retailer’s iconic Thanksgiving Day parade are the first under Otterman, who joined Macy’s in 2023 after stints at Caesars Entertainment, the Madison Square Garden Company and NBCUniversal’s news division.

Marketing Dive spoke with the executive about the how the 2024 holiday season is different than previous ones, how the retailer is working to engage with consumers and what’s on her marketing watch list for 2025.

The following interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

MARKETING DIVE: What were you were looking for in a brand ambassador to bring the holiday campaign to life?

SHARON OTTERMAN: The excitement that Allison Brie represents in terms of the Gift Guide, but also the relatability, was very important for us. Every spot has that moment where we break that fourth wall, turn to the camera and relate how we really feel. I think we've all had that feeling of wanting the holidays to be perfect. That thought that goes into these gift giving moments matters, but it is tiring, and you want it to be relatable.

Coming out of a divisive election, how is the 2024 holiday season different from past years?

With the shorter holiday period, there's going to be a lot of messages out there, and we wanted to make sure that we had one that was uniquely Macy's. We feel like we do something a little bit different in the holiday season, that we kick off not only with our great value and sales, but we throw a little parade to the whole country. So everything that we do has that spectacular nature to it. 

It was very important that these stories that we're telling in our advertising have multiple chapters to them. We're in chapter two — Black Friday — right now, but there's actually five chapters. We have written them like stories. We're keeping the messaging fresh. We're on a set that's very uniquely Macy's. We wanted to make sure that we had a chance to really break through, because we know that consumers do have a lot of choice during this period of time.

With your background and that of new hires to the marketing organization, how are you approaching storytelling across channels?

There are so many stories to tell. When we get to see all of the amazing products, we're going to put on the journalist hat like, “What story do we want to tell?” Whether it's about the textile design or the great value or which brand it came from. We have staffed our team with inquisitive storytellers that want to make sure the excitement that they have for the things that we're going to sell, the experience we have in our stores and the value that we have, that they can translate that to our customers.

The 2024 parade has new floats from brands like Rao’s Homemade, Haribo and Netflix. What do you look for when bringing new partners to the parade?

We keep saying that we're more than a store, we’re a story, and that we like partners that want to tell their story, as well. Rao’s is a perfect example: that float tells an entire story of Pasta Knight. All the amazing products come to light, but there’s also a bit of entertainment. Each one of those floats, balloons, marching bands or clowns, they all tell a story, and so we want to partner with people that want to tell their story at this really emotional, exciting time of the year.

The Parade of Deals sales event is online and app-only. How crucial is it to connect with consumers on those channels, especially around the holidays?

Parade of Deals represents that storytelling continued: every day is a new chapter in that story. We're lucky that we can leverage the intellectual property of the parade, and you'll see that very vividly this year — the Gift Guide will be cutting the ribbon. It was important for us to tell one cohesive interactive marketing story, and that whether it was a sales event or a sign in our stores or a manifestation online, that they all had those chapters to the story. 

While we’re often focused on how data affects a retailer’s media network, how is the data coming from digital channels helping your own marketing efforts?

As the world continues to evolve with technology, the best thing is we get to know our customer and what they want better. Good stories are crafted because we really understand the customer. Each chapter is about a need and want, because we know by looking at all the data, what are the things that people need [no matter the situation]. We base everything around consumer insights, and that's what helps pull together all the different parts of a company to make it one integrated campaign — we focus on the customer first.

What is on your radar for 2025?

I think about the impact of AI and generative AI on everything from being a more efficient marketing department to allowing us to get to market quicker. I think about the changing landscape of media and how we want to show up with our storytelling. And I think the consumer continues to keep getting smarter, so we have to keep engaging them with more experiences and bringing those stories to life versus having advertisements or transactions with them.

While retail steals the focus around the holidays, restaurants can also thrive during the season. Thanksgiving is typically the busiest day of the year for Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, the chain known for Southern eats and gift shops carrying nostalgic tchotchkes and apparel. Heat-and-serve meals, including turkey dinners, as well as an assortment of ornaments, toys and gift baskets are in the spotlight for Cracker Barrel for the 2024 winter season.

Cracker Barrel’s holiday push arrives amid a high-stakes strategic reinvention of the brand, which has copped to waning relevance and is contending with fresh proxy fights from investors ahead of its annual shareholder meeting on Nov. 21. The long-term transformation plan involves revamps of stores, a massive menu overhaul, a bigger focus on digital and off-premise dining and an evolution of Cracker Barrel’s brand.

Cracker Barrel in July 2024 appointed Sarah Moore, a hospitality industry veteran, as CMO to bolster appeal with a more modern audience. The 55-year-old company is expanding its first rewards program and rejiggering its marketing strategy to better capitalize on TikTok, an app that is propelling products like embroidered sweatshirts to Gen Z virality. Comparable sales at Cracker Barrel restaurants were up 0.4% in the company’s fiscal fourth quarter 2024, with menu prices increasing 4.2%, while comparable retail sales fell 4.2%.

“Sarah’s hospitality focused leadership and deep experience evolving brands and accelerating growth across all disciplines of marketing will help us drive our strategic transformation and brand love as we reclaim our position as an industry leader,” said Cracker Barrel CEO Julie Felss Masino, who took on the top role last year, in a statement around Moore’s appointment. 

Moore, who joined Cracker Barrel from MGM Resorts International, recently spoke with Marketing Dive about her outlook on partnerships, loyalty and consumer price consciousness. 

The following interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

MARKETING DIVE: You joined a just few months ago but are already entering an important sales time. How early were you starting to think about Thanksgiving and what are you focused on?

SARAH MOORE: Because it is such an important window, the work on this season started long before I joined. The team put so much focus into driving innovation around the holiday season and exposing the storytelling around how the the brand stays true to its roots, delivering something for everybody. We are focusing on a sense of discovery with some new items, whether it would be through the menu or through our retail store. 

How have you selected the right items to promote around Thanksgiving? 

We just celebrated our 55th birthday, and one thing I learned coming into this brand is how much affinity there is with our core customers. This evolution is about staying true to who we are, but finding new ways to showcase the things that our core customers love while opening those up to potential new customers. 

We took some of our items that we’re known for and we showcased them in new ways [such as Cinnamon Swirl French Toast and a DIY Hot Chocolate Bar]. You’ll start to see that in the holiday menu. 

A bigger trend for dine-in restaurants is winning over the next generation in Gen Z while not losing sight of people who already like the brand. How do you gauge what’s correct to switch up?

It’s about retaining a balance of knowing who we are but meeting prospective new customers where they are. Our retail store has such a sense of discovery that products are going viral all the time. If you go to TikTok, you’ll see Gen Z is loving some of our apparel. We’re getting compared to Anthropologie when it comes to our quality. 

Shaboozey [the alt-country singer] posted himself in front of Cracker Barrel a few weeks ago. We’re coming up in top podcast conversations. This brand has a lot of cultural connection and we have a real opportunity to continue fueling that, but we need to recognize those customers, initiate that dialogue and invite them in to come experience the rest of what Cracker Barrel has to offer.

When you think about TikTok and the broader cultural connection, is that something Cracker Barrel used to underleverage? As a CMO, did you see some things where you went, “We’re not doing enough here”? 

Absolutely. There’s two parts to it: TikTok, as a channel, is emerging. A lot of the marketing teams at different brands are still learning how to use these channels. But I do think that the nature of our brand has been humble and it has been a bit more earnest. Again, we’re organically showing up in the conversation, so it’s on us to reach out and engage with those customers because the product is there. 

When you talk about popping up on podcasts or TikTok, those are very fast-moving conversations. How do you keep your finger on the pulse? 

There isn’t a single tool or service that’s gonna do that for us. It’s about the scrappiness of our team. We’re finding this stuff because our team is paying attention. It’s about real-time agility but also knowing the spaces that your brand’s gonna play in. Sometimes you get surprised: We were mentioned on the Smartless podcast by Jason Bateman. 

You have a background in the hospitality industry. What is the most valuable thing you’ve brought over? 

I was in the hospitality industry for 20 years. It’s all about understanding the guests’ mindset, why they’re choosing to spend their discretionary dollars with you and ensuring that they feel grateful, appreciated and valued for that decision. In the restaurant industry, there is a lot of noise. Nobody delivers greater hospitality than Cracker Barrel, so that’s very ownable and it’s one of the reasons I came to this brand. 

There is some overlap with your past role in relation to loyalty. Cracker Barrel in 2023 launched a rewards program. What has your approach to building that out been? 

Our loyalty program is still in its infancy. We’re only a year old, but we are thrilled with the momentum that we’ve seen. We have over 6 million members, so the organic growth has been remarkable. The most valuable members mean more to us from a frequency standpoint and from a customer value standpoint. Our ability to engage with them in a meaningful way is through CRM and ensuring that they know they have first access or get sneak peeks. It’s that they know that we’re prioritizing them and rewarding them for their loyalty, but also driving engagement with the program in a profitable way. We know this is going to be an incredible growth mechanism for us.

Have you shaken up your approach to marketing services at all? We're talking about social listening and loyalty being, in some cases, newer areas for Cracker Barrel. 

A brand marketing organization always has to be looking at the right ecosystem of partners, especially as our worlds change year over year. As part of our transformation, we are taking a hard look at who the right partners are to go on this journey with us. It’s definitely something we’re looking at. We’ll have more to share in the future.

Across the restaurant category, price consciousness and value are big themes. Cracker Barrel has emphasized value in its recent ads. How are you striking a balance between that and communicating hospitality? 

It’s a good problem to have. We have a lot of emotion that comes with the brand. We have incredible promotional windows that we open. The nature of our menu is built-in quality, value and abundance. For us, it’s just ensuring that we’re telling the right messages at the right time. It’s about paying really close attention to what channels are activated where and who the right customer is. It’s a dance, but we are not swinging too far one way or the other. 

Are the holidays the real “on” time for Cracker Barrel’s paid media?

In this window, it’s about full channel integration and ensuring that we’re speaking consistently across all of our channels. This holiday season, we’re going to up our storytelling channels. That goes again back to social media, our use of content creators and PR. That will be balanced out by strong paid media support, but the focus for us is not one channel over the other. 

What is at the top of your wishlist as CMO? 

There’s a sense of “if you know, you know” with Cracker Barrel, and that’s driving a lot of that virality on TikTok. As the CMO, my greatest wish for this brand is for everyone to see what those who know see. Cracker Barrel has so much to offer, from apparel to gifting to home to toys to kids to candy. It is curated better than any of your favorite little boutiques.

Is there something I didn't ask that you'd want to highlight?

Another marketing lever that we’re going to start pushing on is partnerships and activations. We showed up at ChainFest this year for the first time ever. We know we have a great opportunity and a lot of brands want to partner with us. Creating interesting collaborations to showcase the evolved positioning of Cracker Barrel is really exciting. 

Sometimes, with brand collaborations, it’s an earned media play and a bit of a head-scratcher. It gets a headline but doesn’t build long-term equity. How do you assess the right partners based on Cracker Barrel’s positioning? 

There isn’t one way to do it. We’re building a new partnership framework that’s going to ultimately identify and vet what partners do what. Is it an earned play, is it a long-term new business driver, is it a revenue generator or is it an operational partner? Some of them might just be great buzz opportunities. Sometimes you want the head-scratcher, but there’s a time and a place for all the right partnerships.