To say True Religion, once a symbol of luxury in the early 2000s, has had its ups and downs in recent years would be an understatement.
It faced a steep decline as consumer tastes and styles shifted and filed for bankruptcy in 2017. Despite securing funding to continue operations, the brand filed for bankruptcy again in 2020 due to struggles in department stores and the impact of the pandemic.
Last January, True Religion, owned by Farmstead Capital Management, was put up for sale, targeting private equity firms and publicly traded apparel companies and was acquired by TowerBrook Capital Partners.
Aiming to double its sales by 2027, the brand is diversifying its offerings, including activewear, varsity jackets, and even a pet line, while sharpening its marketing efforts and using data to do it.
In an interview with PYMNTS, CMO Kristen D’Arcy said the company is focused on using data and full-funnel marketing strategies to drive customer loyalty and sales, particularly during high-impact times like the holiday season. Now, it’s all about standing out and brand differentiation through product and marketing.
“The key fundamental is that you must know your customer,” D’Arcy told PYMNTS in an interview.
Full-funnel marketing, according to D’Arcy, comprises everything from the creative elements of a campaign to strategic media investments.
“Regardless of what new social media platform comes out or goes away tomorrow, if you know where your customer is spending their time, then that is the right platform to test, learn and possibly scale,” she explained.
In a recent holiday campaign, “Where Holiday Wishes Come True,” True Religion used data to optimize the customer journey across multiple stages, D’Arcy said.
“We develop content that is native to each channel, and then respond to consumers depending on where they are in their purchase journeys,” she said. “For instance, we know that denim is the gateway product for many shoppers. For those consumers who become our very best customers, we also know what their likely second purchase will be. We use those insights to develop top customer lookalikes to create more top customers and, ultimately, to increase our LTV.”
When it comes to standing out in a crowded marketing environment, D’Arcy stressed product differentiation and a consistent brand message across digital and physical infrastructure.
“No. 1, our product stands out in a crowded market, so we have the luxury of marketing an incredible and very identifiable product,” she stated. “We then try to surround the consumer with a single message, no matter what platform they are engaging with, so that we are delivering a seamless and consistent consumer experience. The content may change, but the messaging does not. In doing so, that consistency breaks through with consumers driving consideration, traffic and ultimately, sales.”
Delivering a consistent message across all platforms aligns with the trend of omnichannel shopping experiences. According to PYMNTS Intelligence’s “The 2024 Global Digital Shopping Index,” a survey of nearly 14,000 consumers across seven countries about their omnichannel buying behaviors and preferences, 4 in 10 consumers are now Click-and-Mortar™ shoppers, who prefer purchasing journeys that combine the digital and the physical over pure-play brick-and-mortar or eCommerce.
D’Arcy added: “No. 2, we select talent who are not only authentically right for the brand but who also have a genuine love for the product. Everyone we use in our campaigns — from Megan Thee Stallion to Jayda Cheaves and Quavo — have worn True Religion before working directly with us. The talent we select and the partnerships we engage in live at the intersection of sports, music and culture because we know that these are the things our customers are most passionate about. It’s a combination of all these factors that have helped us authentically stand out and drive sales.”
Building long-term loyalty through personalization is another area of importance for True Religion, D’Arcy said.
“We have a good understanding of what our customers are buying as well as when and where they are purchasing it,” she said.
The brand uses its loyalty program, True Rewards, to not only reward purchases but also nontransactional actions like social engagement or referring friends. Through lifecycle marketing, True Religion nurtures customer relationships through personalized content and targeted campaigns.
“True Rewards is all about the overall experience you have with the brand and the time you spend with us, not only as a result of a purchase,” D’Arcy said. “We even give our very top loyalty members access to highly covetable experiences — like private concerts, or VIP meet and greets — that also sit where the brand does at the intersection of sports, music and culture.”
As marketing technology evolves, D’Arcy said artificial intelligence (AI), omnichannel strategies and personalization at scale are essential tools for enhancing customer loyalty.
“We are using AI to optimize our tactical plans,” she said, “and taking an omnichannel view of the consumer so that we can personalize our communications to them. We continue to iterate on all the data that we receive from our most loyal customers to understand how our customers behave. Most importantly, we truly listen to what they are telling us.”
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