J. Crew CMO Julia Collier on learning from Gen Z and J Crew's business practices
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00:00J.Crew is one of, next to Sony, the oldest brand up here, it's like a Gen X brand.
00:05So how, you know, Gen Z, maybe, do they know what J.Crew is?
00:11How do you approach that?
00:12And what is the role vis-a-vis your other demographics?
00:15Yeah, you know, I think for us, we're really interested in learning from Gen Z.
00:21Our core customer is really a millennial.
00:24So their shopping behaviors are completely different from, obviously, the younger cohorts.
00:32But what we're learning from Gen Z and why we're so interested in them is that they really reflect the mindset, I think, of a lot of America right now,
00:42which is being very conscious about what you're purchasing.
00:46You're not, you know, and it is why I love that New York Times article, because I think that we want to feel good about what we're buying.
00:53We don't want to spend a lot of money, but we want to be confident that what we do buy will last us for more than, you know, a month or two,
01:01and that these pieces will stay with us forever.
01:03You know, I think the amazing thing about J.Crew is that we get you dressed every single day,
01:08and that's something that, no matter your age, you relate to, right?
01:12Like, you want to feel good about what you wear.
01:15You want to feel like you have options.
01:16And for Gen Z specifically, I think that they want to feel good, as I said earlier,
01:24about buying from a brand that has a perspective on style but also has a legacy.
01:31You know, so for us, we're really trying to think about, well, what does that mean to our brand?
01:36Is that really a, you know, product play?
01:39How does it dovetail into marketing?
01:41So really just being more conscious about how we communicate, what we say.
01:47Obviously, Gen Z is the savviest generation we've had, so, you know, you can't pull the wool over their eyes.
01:53They can see through things very quickly.
01:54Or you get cringe.
01:56Or you get cringe, and you get called out.
01:58You know, it's a very different landscape to even a year ago.
02:02You know, it's a very different landscape.