Ron Johnson Failure
Ron Johnson failed during his 17-month stint as CEO at JC Penny. A failure so epic that experts and critics now question whether the 111-year-old retail chain will survive at all. Unlike what many experts are saying, I believe Johnson’s vision would have been successful if he had just avoided five critical but common branding mistakes. Sadly, he made brand culture mistakes he avoided earlier in his career at Apple and Target. Upon leaving Apple to take the helm at JC Penney, Johnson attempted to rebuild the retailer's brand by remaking everything from the pricing to the merchandise to the overall store layout and design. Johnson’s vision featured trendier brands and a more intimate boutique-like shopping experience to replace their standard
rows of overcrowded clothing racks.Some of his innovations were radical, like ending discount sales in a department store known for its markdowns. Other changes were typical, like refreshing the company logo and advertising campaign. No matter how forward thinking Johnson's changes were, they did not work because his approach to rebuilding a brand was backwards. To truly change an external brand, you must change the internal company culture that is so critical in delivering the brand experience. In other words, brand and culture go hand in hand.
rows of overcrowded clothing racks.Some of his innovations were radical, like ending discount sales in a department store known for its markdowns. Other changes were typical, like refreshing the company logo and advertising campaign. No matter how forward thinking Johnson's changes were, they did not work because his approach to rebuilding a brand was backwards. To truly change an external brand, you must change the internal company culture that is so critical in delivering the brand experience. In other words, brand and culture go hand in hand.