J.Crew Looks for a Fresh Start With Tracee Ellis Ross

It was almost precisely one year ago that J.Crew Group, which includes both the flagship brand and its rapidly growing little sister Madewell, emerged from bankruptcy protection. But a new campaign from J.Crew—the first under CMO Derek Yarbrough—under the tagline "Make a Scene" could herald a new chapter at the retailer. Taking the reins at J.Crew Yarbrough, who continues to be CMO at Madewell, was named head of marketing at J.Crew as part of a broader management shakeup in April. In fact, his latest career move mirrors that of his boss Libby Wadle, who was CEO of Madewell before adding the chief executive role at J.Crew to her duties last year. "While I do have two brands under my purview, I am all about being true to the brand and really maintaining very distinct brand identities [and] brand purposes," Yarbrough said of the dual positions. To achieve that, he has two separate marketing teams for each label. "I'm not about commingling," he said. TikTok Fashion Month Sets Several Initiatives to Bring the Runway to Users The fun part for Yarbrough is that J.Crew and Madewell are in very different places. Because there are still a lot of people who have not heard of Madewell, for example, there's a brand awareness opportunity. Meanwhile, J.Crew is a name a lot of people know, but they have varying perceptions, so it needs to be reintroduced, he said. "It's almost like I need to ... reignite the love that people have had with [the brand], but also introduce J.Crew to a new generation," Yarbrough said. "We're really celebrating the heritage of that brand, but also evolving it to be relevant to the customers of today. That's the needle I have to thread." J.Crew unveils its latest messaging one year after emerging from bankruptcy protection. Making a scene Enter actor and entrepreneur Tracee Ellis Ross, who is prominently featured in J.Crew's latest creative effort. "The choice with Tracee Ellis Ross is there's something very easy about the way she dresses and the comfort in her own skin," Yarbrough said. "So I think this campaign really is about that intersection of confidence and creativity and celebrating the classics, but in a modern way." While the product—which includes J.Crew evp of women's design Olympia Gayot's first collection for the brand—shows up in the images, the messaging is really about fostering a strong emotional connection with the customer. "Tracee really embodies that, just capturing that energy of joy and optimism of what community means, what kind of impact [people in the community] can have, but also celebrating at a more basic level just the joy of getting out there and dressing up and expressing yourself creatively," he said. She's also the perfect messenger, given she's out there using her voice and making waves in a positive way. "She's someone who has such broad appeal and I think inspires so many different types of people," Yarbrough added. The "Make a Scene" tagline is a call to action to consumers and a more literal way of talking about positive disruption. J.Crew also wants to make a scene. "We want people to see J.Crew is here. We haven't gone away. We're leading with creativity again," he said, adding that this campaign is one of the largest—if not the largest—in J.Crew's history, making it a vote of confidence in the brand, where the product is headed and the love customers have for the retailer. To reach as many new potential customers as possible, J.Crew is casting a wide net. Its messaging will appear on Hulu, TikTok and digital advertiser Undertone, all for the first time, as well as Instagram, Facebook and YouTube among others. And while the brand has appeared on Snapchat, this is the first time a campaign will meaningfully show up on the platform, Yarbrough added. Why a Fashion House Made a Drama Series That Looks Nothing Like Branded Entertainment