Marshalls Brilliantly Shifts The Focus Up Stream To The Hustling Buyers Of The Stuff
I’m a little slow to this ad from Marshalls which launched in August of last year. My excuse is that I’m not the target audience. Regardless, it’s come to my attention now and I think it’s very smart on many levels. First, here’s the spot:
What is a retailer but an editor of things?
I’ve often said that brick and mortar retailers can be defined by the assortment choices they make. Sounds obvious, right? But brand ideas for retailers are often found squarely within the rationale for those merch decisions. Lulu Lemon’s assortment comes from their obsession with the athletic/yoga lifestyle. You won’t see them selling any camping gear anytime soon. But then REI’s assortment comes from their obsession with the outdoors. No Xboxes in sight in that place. Kay’s Jewelers, Petco, Williams-Sonoma, the same thing. Their brand identity is tied closely to their editorial choices of merchandise.
But Marshalls? How does a brand who seemingly has no editorial discipline at all—it has everything, candles, t-shirts, socks, little radios, vases, cookware, shoes, dresses, ties, toys, and everything in-between. Making matters worse for the marketers at Marshalls, the store doesn’t carry the same thing from one week to the next.
Talk about a branding challenge.
But wait, does Marshalls, in fact, have editorial discipline after all?
The genius of the Marshalls ad campaign is that it shifts the editorial focus up stream from most retailers. It’s not about any particular category of merchandise that defines them, it’s about how the brand buys its merchandise regardless of the category in which that merchandise falls.
The campaign reminds me of the original ESPN campaign, “The Ultimate Sports Fan,” as it turns the camera around and exposes truths about the company instead of making claims or promises to convince consumers the brand “gets” them. The logic being, if we can convince sports fans that we are the ultimate sports fan, they’ll watch. And watch they did.
Marshalls is also turning the camera around and exposing the most important truth about their brand. And guess what? It comes right out of the assortment choices they make.
We get the deals. You get the good stuff.
The spot heroes the Marshalls buyers. Not as sons of bitches who step on the necks of their suppliers, but as people “born to hustle” and who “spend every day hustling, so you don’t have to.” What does that mean? It means, no matter what Marshalls sells, you can count on it being a great value. That’s what I mean by an up stream strategy.
Who knew buyers were so attractive and cool? Overall, the execution of the spot is wonderful. The buyers themselves are all nicely cast as, well, nice, stylish people we’d love to have a cocktail with. The quick cuts give the spot energy as it moves through its argument. And I just love the little whispers in key scenes, like “It’s a secret” underneath showing the difference between bone China and porcelain.
The brand math works.
If this campaign is successful, and I am willing to bet 10% of my credibility that it will be, then consumers will believe that ANYTHING they spot in a Marshalls store is going to be a great deal. Imagine that. A retailer who doesn’t have to sell its stuff, just the promise of its stuff being great and a good deal. By focusing on something bigger than the stuff, they sell all the stuff.
Of course, this idea fuels the whole Marshalls experience, already known as a “never know what you’re going to find” destination. Now whatever you might find has an attractive, hip, cool, hustling buyer behind it to thank.
Truly good stuff.
Will Burns is the Founder & CEO of the revolutionary virtual-idea-generating company, Ideasicle X. He’s an advertising veteran from such agencies as Wieden & Kennedy, Goodby Silverstein, Arnold Worldwide, and Mullen. He was a Forbes Contributor for nine years writing about creativity in modern branding.