JCPenney partners with 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' to promote fashion
JCPenney is teaming up with a popular late-night talk show to help spread the word that it offers on-trend fashions at affordable prices.
In a move to shift its image from a coupon destination to a “must-shop fashion brand," the department store retailer is launching a humorous brand marketing campaign featuring the tagline, “Yes-JCPenney!” As part of the campaign, a series of TV spots will air beginning Saturday, April 12 during high-profile telecasts such as the NBA post-season. The spots feature the tagline as a woman wearing a stylish outfit from JCPenney gets envious looks from first-class passengers as she walks down the aisle of a plane.
The campaign also includes larger-than-life ads that were placed in Times Square and at Simon and Brookfield malls across the country during the week of April 7. The ads featured models wearing JCPenney apparel, but with no tags or branding to suggest where the clothes come from. Instead, a QR code on the ad links to the JCPenney website.
In addition, for the first time ever, the retailer is teaming up with the ABC “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” late-night talk-show program with in-show reveals. Every Thursday night for seven weeks beginning April 10, show host Jimmy Kimmel’s sidekick Guillermo will announce “Really Big Deals” on products in categories including fashion, home and beauty. “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” airs weeknights at 11:35 p.m. ET | 10:35 p.m. CT on ABC, and streams next day on Hulu.
"On behalf of everyone at JCPenney, we are sincerely sorry we spilled your best-kept secret," JCPenney said in a tongue-in-cheek "open letter" to customers. "But we hope you’ll agree it’s the right thing to do – because everyone should know what you know about where to score incredible fashion, at even better prices."
JCPenney is no stranger to using celebrities – or humor – to help spread its brand message. Throughout the 2024 football season, the retailer announced special limited-time offers on Prime Video NFL broadcasts, with help from famous partners such as Shaquille O’Neal and Martha Stewart.
[READ MORE: JCPenney enlists Shaq, Martha Stewart to host Prime Video promotions]
And in 2022, comedian and former "Saturday Night Live" cast member Melissa Villaseñor appeared in JCPenney advertising as the character Penny James.
In January, JCPenney and SPARC Group (a joint venture of brand management firm Authentic Brands Group, Simon Property Group and Shein) combined to form a new organization, called Catalyst Brands. It is made up of SPARC’s Aéropostale, Brooks Brothers, Eddie Bauer, Lucky Brand and Nautica brands, as well as JCPenney.
Headquartered in Plano, Texas, JCPenney operates an e-commerce site and more than 650 stores in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.
