Best Strategic Turnaround - Who Pivoted Successfully? | Fast Five Shorts

Best strategic move from a struggling retailer.

And let's go to you first.

I picked Macy's for this one.

I thought that they closed down a lot of their small format stores.

They seem to really be shifting focus again this year on what makes Macy's Macy's and how to figure out how to get people back into the store.

And then the second part of that would again be the emphasis that they put on their own brands and high style and really well executed fashion across their on 34th brands.

And the collaborations that they did for the INC brand which had its 50th anniversary this year.

Like I think that we just awarded Emily Arusha Hillockiu, the head of the SVP of private brands, the Omnistar last week for this exact type of work.

And I think they're just, they're giving people a reason to go back to Macy's by tightening the belt I eliminating some of the, the waste that was happening there and really putting their focus into those core stores that they're, that they're going to move forward with.

So I'm, I'm giving it to Macy's.

Yeah.

You know, funny enough, so am I.

So am I.

And yeah.

And, and you know, I think if I've been hard on Costco, I've been really hard on Macy's over the past few years.

So like.

But I'm actually starting to like Tony Spring.

They just come off their best, they just came off their best quarter in the last three years and it was positive growth.

So that's saying something.

But I like how he's focusing on the store experience too.

Like improve like he's basically putting money or investment towards improving things like the amount of service being deployed in the shoe area, the things that are part and parcel differentiators for Macy's and trying to increase the allure of the store experience in what matters.

And so that's your advantage.

That's where you should be investing.

So I give him a lot of credit for doing that.

And, and you know, it's not something that is that easy to do.

His predecessor wasn't able to do it.

So.

Yeah, I 100% agree.

Chad, what about you?

This one is like tailor made for you.

Yeah, I'm not, I'm not going to round it out with the trifecta here.

So we didn't go unanimous on this one but I did go with a marketing spin.

Right.

So headline was Gaps Viral milkshake denim ad with cat's eye is right.

And I say that because that's A.

A microcosm for Gap being back in the cultural conversation.

Right.

Song, dance and celebrating a pant fabric.

Just like I remember in the 90s.

Right.

Interest in the brand is high.

Like comp.

Sales were up 7% in Q3, doubling analysts expectations.

Listen, an ad campaign does not make a brand like it's not enough.

We know that there's a lot to deliver on, not the least of which is actual product, of course, but it starts with people paying attention and being relevant again.

Right.

Especially for, as the Omni category would suggest, the struggling retailer.

You got to get people in for the first time because typically struggling retailers aren't getting that first buy.

So it's a great move on what Gap's doing with the brand.

Now they just have to back it up with product and experience.

Got it.

So you.

So you love the Cat's Eye partnership and it brings you back to your nostalgic days.

So Chad, I'm curious, what's your favorite Gap out of all time?

Oh, man.

I would have to think about the specific song.

I just remember a lot of snapping and dancing and khakis in the 90s.

I can't like, remember specifically like what the songs were.

Right.

But, but yeah, there you go.

It was, it's.

It was legit.

It's funny, we were just telling producer Ella she needs to go back and look at all the old ads from the Gap to get a real sense of the nostalgia.

And what's yours remind the audience.

What's your favorite Gap commercial of all time?

What's the one that sticks in your mind?

I mean, I thought this choir won.

The last one was.

Probably has kind of dominated now as my new favorite that they just released a couple of weeks ago.

Yeah, I thought it, it was a good way to incorporate not just the typical, like young, fresh, 20 somethings, 30 somethings wearing the product.

It really showed like, okay, there's.

We've got young and old people all in the product all together.

And it was just very like moving, I think for this time of year.

So that has now taken my top spot.

But yours is what?

Mine's Mellow yellow they call me.

That's right.

That's a good one.

But Ella, producer Ella, I'm.

Did you do, first of all, did you do your homework?

I'm curious.

Did you go back and look and see and did you have a favorite?

I did go in a rabbit hole.

I was watching yes.

Two videos.

But do I have a favorite?

They were all so good.

They were really good.

The production was insane.

So I don't know if I have a favorite I.

But I could watch those for hours, so.

Good.

Yeah.

Yeah.

The Everybody at leather ones were good.

The khaki ones are good.

They were all good, but, yeah.