Ellen Tracy
A Case Study
Attracting a New, Younger Customer

Background

Ellen Tracy was a growing women's bridge designer with a long heritage.
In order to continue to grow, they needed to attract a diverse, more fashion-forward customer base.

Challenges

Ellen Tracy was already moving in a younger direction, but had failed to find a way to gain retailer trust.

Attract newer, younger customers and appeal to them in a way that would not alienate the older Ellen Tracy loyalists committed to the brand.

Insights

The key to expanding the brand across both audiences was to develop a forward, fresh creative look each season that would appeal emotionally to a wide segment of women.

Connections

Only a select group of models could successfully bridge the gap between the younger target and the Ellen Tracy loyalists: Nikki Taylor, Cindy Crawford, and Christy Turlington. The model would not be the hero-it was always about Ellen Tracy featuring her.

For Ellen Tracy to gain access to target customers each season, we selected photographers who were relevant to the particular season. They included: Richard Avedon, Michael Thompson, and Steven Klein.

Over the years, the talent changed but the strategy remained artful, cinematic, unexpected.

Results

We elevated the brand among a younger audience, while expanding Ellen Tracy's core customer base. The brand experienced increased sell-through in all key retail outlets.