Life From NEMOA: Appleseed’s Grows Branding Opportunities
Women’s clothing cataloger Appleseed’s recently completed a segmentation study of its core audience, women age 50 to 75.
Claire Spofford, senior vice president of marketing and retail for Appleseed’s, told attendees at the New England Mail Order Association’s spring conference in Cambridge, MA on Friday that the company is using the data to get a better understanding of what the opportunities are in the marketplace.
The Beverly, MA-based company has slowly been redesigning and updating the look of its marketing, a process Spofford called “evolution, not revolution.”
To further extend the nearly 60-year-old brand, Appleseed’s opened two retail stores last year, in Acton and Westwood, MA. “We’re trying to build a model and go forward,” she said.
Spofford noted that companies successful in building strong brands have been almost fanatical about guarding their corporate identities. As examples, she cited how Coca Cola is very particular about getting the right shade of red on all their marketing materials.
Brand stewardship is vital, she said. “There needs to be an advocate for ownership of brand.”
A total of 425 direct marketers attended the conference which ended Friday.
