Morning Brew - ☕ In stitches

Why some clothing brands are shifting their message to quality.
January 22, 2024

Marketing Brew

It’s Monday. A giant feline face took over the Las Vegas Sphere to promote the upcoming Universal Pictures and Apple spy comedy Argylle—giving us a preview of what it will be like when cats take over the federal government.

In today’s edition:

—Katie Hicks, Ryan Barwick, Alex Vuocolo

DTC

Coming apart at the seams?

TikToks from creators talking about the deterioration of clothing quality in recent years Screenshots via @_maddieminla/TikTok, @hannahganshaw/TikTok, @meredithmlynch/TikTok

The quality of clothes—particularly women’s clothes—ain’t what it used to be. Items made from 100% natural fibers are hard to find, even at luxury prices. Many garments feel like they begin to deteriorate after a few wears, and somehow, prices still seem to keep rising.

It’s become a point of passionate discussion on social media, where consumers vent, deinfluence, look back at what some brands used to sell, and share tips on how to find higher-quality clothes via thrifting, mindful purchasing, and…going to Brandy Melville? Some TikTok creators, like Jennifer Wang and Andrea Cheong, have even dedicated their platforms to offering opinions on which items from certain brands are worth the money.

“All we have been seeing for the last 15 years is an acceleration of how shopping happens,” Thomai Serdari, clinical associate professor of marketing at NYU Stern School of Business, told us. “Now I’ve been seeing that that trend is being reversed, with people being willing to spend time researching things before they acquire them, making sure that both materials and the promises that the brands make are actually authentic and reliable.”

It’s only natural, then, that some brands have begun focusing their marketing messages on conveying the quality of their garments.

  • Artizia has sent items to influencers like Wang to review, and Gap is advertising its clothes as “affordable quiet luxury.”
  • Anthropologie seemed to push back on the trend, boasting in an email marketing message that its sweaters are “less itchy than vintage” finds.

Meanwhile, other brands that have built their reputations on the luxury-for-less concept, like Quince and Italic, have also adjusted their marketing to address customers’ shifting expectations.

“It seems like quality is at the forefront of consumers’ minds,” Antonieta Moreland, head of brand at Quince, told Marketing Brew.

Continue reading here.—KH

     

FROM THE CREW

Let Morning Brew Daily make you smarter

The Crew

You’re already reading the newsletter, but did you know you can also listen to and/or watch the wittiest and smartest takes on business news?

Morning Brew Daily hosts Neal Freyman and Toby Howell have you covered on everything you need to know before your morning cup of coffee, from the latest headlines on the economy to explanations of viral TikTok trends.

You’ll look so smart in front of your friends.

New episodes are released every weekday at 7am ET. Check ’em out on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.

PRIVACY

Leave the data, take the cannoli

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images

New Jersey woke up this morning and got itself a privacy law.

The Garden State became the first state to pass comprehensive privacy legislation in 2024 after Gov. Phil Murphy signed Senate Bill 332 into law last week.

The law, which goes into effect next January, effectively gives New Jersey residents the ability to opt out of allowing companies to sell their “personally identifiable information.”

“Far too often consumer privacy is exploited without consumers knowing that their data is being shared and sold. This important legislation will help consumers reclaim control over their own personal data, and allow them the choice to share information that is personal to them,” Murphy, a Democrat, said in a press release.

The bill covers any company doing business in New Jersey that controls or processes the personal data of at least “100,000 consumers,” or any business that processes the data of at least 25,000 consumers and makes money from it. Like California’s consumer privacy law, a “sale” is defined as “sharing, disclosing, or transferring” data for money or “other valuable consideration,” which could apply to third parties like ad-tech vendors.

  • There are some carve-outs, including “personal data processed solely for the purpose of completing a payment transaction.”
  • The law doesn’t include a private right of action, meaning enforcement will have to come from New Jersey’s Attorney General; residents won’t be able to sue companies over privacy infractions.

So what, no $%%# data now? Since California passed the California Consumer Privacy Act in 2018, 12 other states have signed their own comprehensive consumer privacy bills into law, including Texas, Delaware, Virginia, and Tennessee, according to Bloomberg Law.

New Hampshire is mostly likely next. Last week, the state’s legislature passed its own privacy bill, which is now awaiting the governor’s signature.—RB

     

RETAIL

Back to cool

Sign on a Claire's store Peter Dazeley/Getty Images

What do Crocs and Claire’s have in common? Both companies made significant comebacks in recent years after hitting a low point financially and culturally in the late 2010s.

“When you googled Claire’s, the only thing that came up was a bankruptcy,” Kristin Patrick, chief marketing officer for accessory and jewelry brand Claire’s, said during a session at the National Retail Federation’s annual Big Show conference. “Skip to two-and-a-half years later, and we were one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies.”

Crocs CMO Heidi Cooley told a similar story: As recently as 2016, she said, the slipper-shoe brand was mostly known as the punchline in online memes. Now it’s become a cultural phenomenon all over again, with rising sales and a number of high-profile corporate and celebrity partnerships under its belt.

Customer insight: What’s behind these brand revivals? Both executives pointed to strategic shifts that emphasized allowing customer feedback, particularly from Gen Z, to guide decisions.

“They have to lead the way,” Patrick said. “Marketing today is very much about letting them lead, and the brand taking the [back seat].”

In concrete terms, she explained, that has meant sourcing ideas from customers about what Claire’s should sell and where it should operate. This has led the company to expand beyond its traditional operating channels, opening in locations ranging from Galeries Lafayette in Paris to Walmart to metaverse-based games such as Roblox.

“It’s about showing up where they are spending their time,” Patrick added.

Keep reading on Retail Brew.—AV

     

A MESSAGE FROM IBM

IBM

You can’t spell retail without AI. The retail future is here, and your biz needs to adapt. Ready to unlock the power of AI? We teamed up with IBM to show you how GenAI can boost your biz to heights unrivaled. Give your biz a power up.

FRENCH PRESS

French press Morning Brew

There are a lot of bad marketing tips out there. These aren’t those.

Playtime: How some brands are working with Gen Alpha creators.

Makin’ a change: Advice on how to switch to a new website with minimal impact on SEO rankings.

Grow up: Tips on boosting an Instagram following.

IN AND OUT

football play illustrations on billboards on buildings Francis Scialabba

Executive moves across the industry.

  • Erin Condon, previously the interim CMO of CVS Health’s pharmacy and consumer wellness vertical, has been named permanent CMO.
  • Dara Nasr, a Twitter alum, is now VP of global sales at WeTransfer.
  • Vinay Shahani, who previously led marketing for Lexus, has been tapped as Nissan North America’s new senior VP, US marketing and sales.

SHARE THE BREW

Share Marketing Brew with your coworkers, acquire free Brew swag, and then make new friends as a result of your fresh Brew swag.

We’re saying we’ll give you free stuff and more friends if you share a link. One link.

Your referral count: 2

Click to Share

Or copy & paste your referral link to others:
marketingbrew.com/r/?kid=303a04a9

         
ADVERTISE // CAREERS // SHOP // FAQ

Update your email preferences or unsubscribe here.
View our privacy policy here.

Copyright © 2024 Morning Brew. All rights reserved.
22 W 19th St, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10011

Older messages

☕ CES and know

Monday, January 22, 2024

Retail takeaways from CES. January 22, 2024 Retail Brew PRESENTED BY Listrak On this fine Monday, chances are you're reading this on your smartphone, which means you may be eligible to win $10000

☕ Taking on telecom

Monday, January 22, 2024

How EdgeQ aims to compete with telecom giants. January 22, 2024 Tech Brew PRESENTED BY Slack It's Monday. We're back, and today we're talking telecom. Kelcee Griffis has a story about a

☕ Sephora kids

Monday, January 22, 2024

Why the DeSantis campaign failed to launch... January 22, 2024 View Online | Sign Up | Shop Morning Brew PRESENTED BY SmartAsset Good morning. We did it, folks—we made it through the darkest timeline.

☕ Post Office scandal

Sunday, January 21, 2024

The TV show that sparked a reckoning... Presented by IBM January 21, 2024 | View Online | Sign Up | Shop Good luck today, Bills Shoveling Mafia. Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images BROWSING Classifieds

☕ Vibing

Saturday, January 20, 2024

Americans are finally happy about the economy... January 20, 2024 View Online | Sign Up | Shop Morning Brew Good morning. Why do so many Americans think they live in the Midwest when they don't

You Might Also Like

GeekWire Startups Weekly

Friday, November 15, 2024

News, analysis, insights from the Pacific NW startup ecosystem View this email in your browser Tech Moves: Zillow Group names new COO as longtime execs depart Read more » Osyte, a Seattle startup that

Targeted Thinking

Friday, November 15, 2024

Here's a rule of thumb to follow: read more great writing whenever you can Targeted Thinking By Caroline Crampton • 15 Nov 2024 View in browser View in browser The Browser is launching our new game

Welcome To The United States of Crypto

Friday, November 15, 2024

The cryptocurrency industry spent hundreds of millions to purge government crypto skeptics, and now it's ready to reap the rewards. No matter what, the cryptocurrency industry was going to win the

The hard truth

Friday, November 15, 2024

I'm not going to sugarcoat it: One of the reasons Trump won was that he was backed by a powerful right-wing media ecosystem that promoted his lies. In this election, this pro-Trump network was more

Why MAGA embraced RFK Jr.

Friday, November 15, 2024

+ pollsters miss again ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

🎄 ‘Red One’ Isn’t the Lump of Coal You Think It Is

Friday, November 15, 2024

Plus: Apple TV+ just quietly released the bold new chapter of its best sci-fi show. Inverse Daily The Dwayne Johnson-Chris Evans two-hander isn't as bad as you've heard — but it's not all

☕ Policy pivots

Friday, November 15, 2024

Tech under Trump. November 15, 2024 Tech Brew Presented By JobsOhio It's Friday. Tech innovation is about more than inventive individuals posting up in a garage, office, or college to build

What are 20-somethings running from?

Friday, November 15, 2024

Plus: What to buy before tariffs, Trump names a DOGE duo, and more. November 15, 2024 View in browser Amanda Lewellyn is a tech-focused producer for Vox's Today, Explained podcast. Amanda Lewellyn

Trump Taps RFK Jr., Pennsylvania Recount, and a 300-Carat Necklace

Friday, November 15, 2024

President-elect Trump nominated Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to head the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees 13 agencies with a budget of nearly $2 trillion. ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏

Numlock News: November 15, 2024 • Nightshade, Lord of the Rings, Bear Costumes

Friday, November 15, 2024

By Walt Hickey ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏