J.C. Penney

Kmart's "Jingle Bells" ad has become the most viral of the early holiday season and is already among the biggest hits of 2013. So what's a rival retailer to do? For J.C. Penney, a lighthearted exchange on Twitter over the mildly risqué ad seems to have done the trick. The brand trolled Twitter on Nov. 16, and a humorous exchange ensued:

J.C. Penney wants to draw its long-lost customers back into stores by urging them to "Jingle More Bells" this holiday season. In an effort to reconnect with customers and "reclaim" its brand, the retailer launched its first national TV holiday campaign Tuesday under the marketing leadership of former Kraft Foods exec Debra Berman, who has been senior VP-marketing since July. Along with newly appointed agency Doner, Ms. Berman said she hopes the ads

lululemon's recent image problems are excellent news for other athletic brands, and J.C. Penney wants everyone to know that if lululemon doesn't want you in its pants, J.C. Penney is ready to hook you up. "When it comes to yoga pants, we fit any shape and size," J.C. Penney tweeted right about the time lululemon was making headlines for blaming the failure of its yoga pants on the size of its customers’ thighs. We can't help but snicker at the dig. There's no burn like a corporate burn to make you feel all tingly inside.

He's retail's persona non grata, but does he deserve to be? After being in the news for 17 months straight on an almost daily basis, Ron Johnson, the much-maligned ex-CEO of J.C. Penney, hasn't been heard from since his unceremonious ouster in April, until now — sort of. Johnson told me via email that although it's premature to discuss his tenure at J.C. Penney, he did say that much of the analysis of his stint at the chain has been "lacking in depth, largely inaccurate and surprisingly uninformed."

The attacks are a reminder of social media's power to undermine the reputation and shares of a public company. J.C. Penney, struggling to turn itself around after the failed strategy of former CEO Ron Johnson, is especially vulnerable to market sentiment. "J.C. Penney's is a very specific situation," said Liz Dunn, an analyst at Macquarie Group in New York. "I wouldn't expect this to be a rampant problem of anonymous Twitter users bashing companies." 

J.C. Penney and Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia on Monday announced a revised agreement that eliminates Stewart's products in home goods categories to which rival Macy's claims exclusive rights. The amended deal calls for the domestic doyenne's company to design Martha Stewart-branded products for J.C. Penney in window treatment, holiday and other categories not claimed by Macy's. Penney also gave up its 17 percent stake in Martha Stewart's company. Macy's sued J.C. Penney and Martha Stewart Living after the two announced a partnership in December 2011. 

Less than three months after JC Penney named former Kraft Foods exec Debra Berman to lead the retailer's marketing strategy, she's brought in a whole new agency team, including Doner, EVB and Victors & Spoils, to step up the company's advertising. Their first order of business? A holiday campaign. Ms. Berman, senior VP-marketing, said she determined in September that the

J.C. Penney is reverting to its classic logo in a move to appeal to loyal — and likely lapsed – customers. Under former CEO Ron Johnson, the logo and company name was updated to simply jcp. That logo, introduced to much fanfare in early 2012, featured a square red frame, with "jcp" in a blue box in the top, left-hand corner — reminiscent of an American flag. The frame was used throughout J.C. Penney's stores and marketing. Scrapping the logo is just the latest attempt to roll back the former CEO's initiatives. 

Mike Ullman has returned to J.C. Penney in hopes to quickly reverse the company's momentum. Investor bravado and boardroom drama feed news cycles, but do nothing for business results. The fastest and most effective path to turning around results is through restoring trust with the three key groups that can help him immediately: customers, employees and external stakeholders.

J.C. Penney is launching a Disney shop inside 565 stores on Oct. 4 after launching the shop online Sept. 6. The stores will carry toys, collectibles and children's apparel for ages two to 10 that showcase Disney characters. Prices will range from $7 for a plush toy to $90 for a keepsake collection of Disney princess dolls. "The addition of Disney Shops to J.C. Penney will be a major draw in our kids department," Betsy Schumacher, senior vice president and general merchandise manager for children's, said in a release.