GOOD THINKING Savannah Bananas and Men’s Wearhouse don’t mix. Except they do.
If you work at a legacy brand or spend any amount of time thinking about how to reposition them, this week’s episode is for you!
We chat with Matt Repicky, Chief Brands Officer at Tailored Brands, aka Men’s Wearhouse.
But before you think menswear is not for you, think again.
Matt’s pedigree is pretty wild (more below). He was part of the team that returned Barbie to relevance, and now he’s tackling a repositioning of another household name. And doing it in a way that’s the opposite of safe.
We talk comedy, creative risk, how people actually shop, employee creators, Savannah Bananas, and why IRL matters, but your website might not.
Legacy brands are moving again. And Matt’s showing what it actually takes to move one from the inside.
It’s a fun episode.
Enjoy!
Meet Matt Repicky
Matt’s done time at Barbie, Amazon Fashion, and now Men’s Wearhouse. He’s currently Chief Brands Officer at Tailored Brands (Men’s Wearhouse, Jos. A. Bank), leading a massive repositioning.
A lot of people talk ‘brand transformation,’ but Matt’s been on the inside doing it. And sharing how, which is the most refreshing part.
Matt’s been leading Men’s Wearhouse into a new era that’s a lot less buttoned up.
Hit the links to skip to the bits you fancy
03:05 — DREAM JOB TO DREAM JOB // From Barbie to shaping your role.
09:03 — STOP BEING PRECIOUS // The tighty-whities ad and lessons in being brave.
12:55 — EMPLOYEES AS CREATORS // 25,000 store storytellers. How to think about EGC (employee-generated content.)
17:12 — HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS OF BASEBALL // Why the Savannah Bananas made perfect sense—even if most didn’t see it.
23:26 — RETAIL, COMEDY, CULTURE // A preview to Matt’s ANA talk and why humor fits Men’s Wearhouse now.
28:23 — RETROFIT INTO THE MOMENT // You can’t force culture. Meet it.
33:05 — THE SITE WON’T SAVE YOU // Why brand websites won’t matter in 5 years.
36:15 — WHY IRL STILL MATTERS // Service, tailoring, the suit-shopping ritual, and why you have to pay attention to how people really shop.
38:28 — BRAND EXTENSIONS // How to do it right.
42:27 — QUICK FIRE // Three things every brand should do, biggest learning, dream collab, one word.
* 3 things every brand should do?
“Staying connected to your consumer. I talk to 300 men every single week.”
“Always be questioning.”
“Keep looking at where you can show up as a consumer in a new or different way.”
* What’s your biggest learning / what would you do differently?
“If you believe in it, give it a try.”
* If you could collaborate with one other brand on something, who would it be and why?
“I’ve long had WWE on my radar.”
* If there were one celebrity spokesperson for the brand, who could it be?
“So I don’t have an answer for that, but I’ll tell you whenever we ask consumers. It’s either the Dos Equis guy, because I think he sounds and looks like George Zimmer, or Idris.”
* One word that sums up your brand, what would it be?
“Consistent.”
And here’s the links mentioned:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DObPJOfjsou/
https://www.instagram.com/menswearhouse/reel/DHTtzNBNr4O/?hl=en
ABOUT
Chris and Kirsten are the founders of IN GOOD CO, a consultancy that ignites challenger brands with fearless and proactive positioning.
Chris writes a weekly newsletter for +15K subscribers that shares the best-of-the-best on culture, trends, marketing, etc. What she's dropping to friends on Slack or finding useful in meetings with brands |Follow her on Substack
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