Q 1. Is JC Penney a brand that can be ‘Apple-ized’ or ‘Target-ized’? Why or why not? In what fundamental ways does JCP differ from these two brands? Does Johnson’s plan address these differences in ways that make the success of JCP’s new strategy more or less likely?
Q 2. Evaluate the overall effectiveness of the ‘Fair and Square’ brand repositioning policy. How well or poorly do all of the elements work together or work at odds with one another to deliver a coherent whole branding strategy? What elements are missing?
Q 3. What role did existing (past) JCP customers play in the new strategy put in place by Johnson? How do they compare to the JCP (new) customer under the ‘Fair and Square’ brand repositioning? Is it a smart move going to this new customer? Why or why not?
Q 4. How does the new ‘Fair and Square’ pricing policy fit with JCP’s existing customers, value proposition, and positioning relative to competitors? Do you agree with the pricing changes Johnson is making to the pricing schema? How did the new pricing strategy affect the outcome of the new JCP brand strategy?
Q 5. What role did sales promotions (short term incentives to buy) play in the sales process under the new strategy? How did changes in the sales promotion strategy affect the sales people on the floor? How did these changes affect consumer perception of the brand?
Q 6. Was the result of the new strategy due to the strategy itself, or due to the execution of the strategy?
Q 7. What would you do if you were in Johnson’s shoes, and facing significant devaluation of your stock based on the result of your brand repositioning strategy? Present some options and recommend a direction for the company.