Talbots Remains a ‘Classic’

Specialty Retailer Breaks TV Spot in Major Markets
BOSTON–Buoyed by the results of a test commercial, Talbots is heading into the spring with a print and TV campaign.
Created by Boston-based Arnold Communications, the ads continue the “It’s a classic” theme introduced by the shop more than a year ago.
While the budget was not disclosed, Talbots’ director of public relations Margery Myers said, “It’s a big buy for us.”
By the end of this month, Talbots will be on air in six key markets: Philadelphia, New York, Chicago, Atlanta, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., Myers said.
The Hingham, Mass.-based specialty retailer first advertised on TV last fall, testing a 60-second ad in three markets. “The results were very positive,” Myers said. “We’re sticking by the ‘It’s a classic’ theme and looking at the [new] ads as an extension of that campaign.”
The new TV spot features a re-recorded and remixed version of “Always True to You in My Fashion,” a Cole Porter song sung by Grammy-winning vocalist Jennifer Holliday. “Classics is having better things to chase than trends” reads type superimposed over images of well-dressed women showing off both casual and elegant clothes and accessories.
The media buy consists of spot and four national cable networks–the Food Network, Arts & Entertainment, HGTV and Lifetime. A three- month print flight includes consumer magazines such as Vogue, Gourmet, In Style, Martha Stewart Living and Vanity Fair.
Talbots last week reported that total company sales fell 1 percent to $60.7 million for the month of February, while comparable store sales decreased around 7 percent.