What: Kohl's unveils a new marketing strategy focusing on families and real-life situations to reverse sales decline.

Why it is important: The new approach highlights the importance of emotional connection and authenticity in retail branding to drive foot traffic and sales.

Kohl's has introduced a new brand platform called "Where Families Come First," aiming to highlight authentic family moments and position itself as a destination for life's milestones. The platform's first campaign, "When Life Gets Real, Start Here," will launch this fall, focusing on ordinary family situations to showcase Kohl's products.

This strategy shift comes as Kohl's attempts to reverse recent sales declines. The retailer reported a 3.4% year-over-year drop in net sales for fiscal year 2023, with continued declines in the first half of 2024. To attract more families to its physical stores, Kohl's has also resurrected the Limited Too brand, added new assortments from Aéropostale and Madden Girl, and introduced Babies R Us shop-in-shops at 200 locations. The new marketing approach will be multi-channel, including TV, print, video, and digital platforms. Kohl's is also leveraging celebrity partnerships to curate products for everyday use. This strategy aims to create an emotional connection with customers by presenting authentic, relatable content rather than polished, idealized imagery.

Kohl's launches family-focused brand platform