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To-Do Lists, Turnarounds, and Total Bangers
... oh my? Let's dive into the first ever edition of circle back.
Alyssa Houde, Emma Harbottle & Marissa Huggins
July 16, 2024
Welcome to the first-ever edition of circle back! Framing this and putting it on the fridge as ‘Baby’s First Newsletter’. We’re super excited to be here and hope you feel the same way.
We know there can a lot of fluff in marketing, but we’re going to skip that… for now. Let’s jump right into today’s topics.
Table of Contents
Helping Hand: ily, Trello
We’re here to help you as a professional. This segment is dedicated to enhancing your habits and professional workflow through innovative solutions and best practices.
It’s fitting our first feature on circle back is a tool we (not to be dramatic but) literally could not live without. Trello is a to-do list on steroids; it’s uber-customizable to help you stay on track with whatever life is throwing at you.
Our team does everything on Trello, from writing personal grocery lists to organizing our social media posting calendar.
Data Deep Dive: Abercrombie’s Reputation Era
We’re here to help you as an employee. This segment is built to inspire you with the transformative power of data in marketing growth and problem-solving, based on industry success stories.
TLDR: Abercrombie and Fitch has made a crazy comeback by changing things up. They grew their business, made better stuff, and ditched their sexy ads for something Gen Z actually likes. It just goes to show that even big, old companies need to keep an eye on what's working and be ready to switch gears when things get stale.
A select few retail brands have seen insane mainstream turnarounds in the last few years. OGs remember when you could buy Champion and New Balance at Walmart. Abercrombie and Fitch recently joined that list - was anyone even wearing Abercrombie in 2017?
There are tons of interesting reads about the brand’s astounding turnaround we’ll link throughout, but as promised, here’s the story in a nutshell: Abercrombie has been around for well over 100 years, so it’s safe to say they’re pretty established as a brand. However, being well-established has its drawbacks; sometimes, making much-needed pivots is difficult when you’re worried about straying too far from your hallmarks that have made you so successful.
There wasn’t exactly a secret sauce to the company’s resurgence. Abercrombie prioritized some much-needed growth in common retail areas like geographic expansion and product quality. However, one of the most notable factors was an adjustment to their marketing strategy.
Early 2000s Abercrombie advertising was hyper-sexualized - think socialite college kids disappointing their parents but looking good while doing it. In the late 2010s, Abercrombie realized sexy doesn’t sell in the same way to Gen Z. They adjusted their marketing and target audience to find a more aligned product/market fit. They’re projected to hit $5 billion in revenue in the coming years; we aren’t exactly finance people, but we know that’s a lot.
So why do you care? Think of this like a sunk cost fallacy: just because something is ‘what you’ve always done’, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the way you should continue to do it. Constant research and evaluation of how your strategies are engaging your audience is imperative to stay competitive in every industry.
Fun & Flirty: We have a crush on Megan Moroney
We’re here to help you as a person. This segment offers a lighthearted exploration of life beyond the workplace, focusing on cultural and lifestyle topics.
I feel like my friend wrote this album. How can I be so proud of a person I’ve never met? Lmaoooo
Megan Moroney’s sophmore album, Am I Okay?, came out last Friday and it’s been on repeat. This next gen of country music gals is 🔥 and Megan is changing the game. Unapologetically herself, her social media presence feels so authentic. The promo leading up to the album was stellar, too.
Safe to say this one is going to heavily impact our Spotify Wrapped this year.
Our fav tracks:
Emma: Saw Man on the Moon live at Calgary Stampede the weekend before the album came out, so that has to take the cake!
Lyss: The Girls has to take home first place here… but I’m going to break the rules and give my top three because this album is way too good not to give it some more love. Hope You’re Happy is 2nd (#relatable 🙃) and Miss Universe would have to be 3rd.
Marissa: I don’t listen to country music, but Emma and Alyssa are making it their personal mission to change that. 🤠
If you read to this point, congrats - you have the attention span some of us can only dream of having. Thanks for tagging along!
Don’t forget to stay connected with us between issues. Whatever social media is your favorite, we’re probably there, so feel free to connect with us on LinkedIn, TikTok, Instagram, X… and tumblr? Jk, we aren’t chill like that.
