Brand
JCPenney Names VaynerMedia For Social And Influencer Marketing Amid Brand’s Transformation Initiatives
JCPenney has appointed VaynerMedia as its social and influencer marketing agency of record as part of the retailer’s ongoing brand transformation efforts.
The partnership will focus on deploying modern social creative and production capabilities to drive measurable business results.
As part of the arrangement, JCPenney will utilize VaynerMedia’s social influencer seeding offering to provide strategic influencer services designed to maximize brand relevance.
Leadership Perspectives
The strategic partnership was championed by Marisa Thalberg, EVP, Chief Customer and Marketing Officer at Catalyst Brands, JCPenney’s parent company.
“VaynerMedia’s track record in modernizing brands is undeniable,” Thalberg stated in a press release. “We’re confident that putting social at the center of our marketing is an essential part of awakening people to all that is, perhaps surprisingly to some, in store at JCPenney.”
Gary Vaynerchuk, founder of VaynerMedia, highlighted the central role of social media in contemporary marketing: “In today’s world, if brands aren’t putting social at the heart of their marketing, brands are missing out on enormous opportunities. At VaynerMedia, we obsess over where the consumer’s attention actually is, and we dig deep to figure out what makes people tick on every platform.”
Implementation and Collaboration
VaynerMedia will collaborate with JCPenney’s existing agency partners, including Dentsu, the retailer’s media agency of record, and Mischief, its creative agency of record.
The partnership has already begun, with an initial social post following the announcement of an auction featuring Marilyn Monroe’s JCPenney denim jeans. This collaboration’s first large-scale integrated campaign is scheduled to launch in April.
JCPenney, one of America’s largest and most established retailers, is now part of the recently formed Catalyst Brands portfolio.
U.S. brands spent $7.14 billion on influencer marketing in 2024, representing a 16% increase from the previous year, according to a report from July and Behind The Influence.
