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Nordstrom Rack

Elevating above a sea of sameness.
Nordstrom Rack Logo
Client
Nordstrom

Agency
Jones Knowles Ritchie

Project Type
Brand Transformation

Services Rendered
Brand & Design Strategy (for Nordstrom & Rack)
Brand Architecture
(for Nordstrom & Rack)
Brand Experience
Brand Identity

Role
Group Strategy Director;
led strategy team & partnered with ECD/GBD

A note on creative:
Rack campaign work led by Exposure

The Challenge

Since launching in a Nordstrom basement, to having 270+ stores today, Rack is a huge success story and priority for Nordstrom. Loved for its ‘great brands at great prices’ and ability to offer more—more fashion, deals, and access, Rack is unique in an off-price sea of sameness. Yet despite its winning formula, the Rack brand blended into a dated and generic landscape, its brand experience was inconsistent across touchpoints, and the relationship to Nordstrom was murky. Now was the time to clarify what connected Rack to Nordstrom, to elevate above a loud and chaotic off-price category, and for Rack's brand to be as distinctive as its product offering. 

The Strategic Opportunity  

It’s easy to assume that off-price is a second-rate option we go to when we can’t afford the real thing. But today, being thrifty is something to be proud of. You could even say it’s cool. And through our research, it became clear that the Rack shopper knew this better than anyone. They were badass: savvy and empowered, and saw Rack as a no-brainer choice that enabled them to express themselves while also making smart choices. Yet the off-price category wasn't speaking to them—it focused solely on price, or felt unrelatable, even talking to consumers like children. We saw a huge opportunity to zig from the category and empower Rack's shoppers by celebrating just how badass they were, and for Rack to have just as much swagger as its shoppers already had.

The Execution

Rack's new identity was bold, playful, and unapologetically individual. A loud and proud, responsive new logo grabbed attention, and its expanded new brand color palette was vibrant and exciting. A new, ownable photography style made customers feel heroic, and provocative yet human brand voice gave "Rack" a place in our cultural vernacular. The entire system was built for a digital era, flexible and responsive across touchpoints, able to consistently connect with the Rack customer wherever they interacted with the brand.  

Results

  • The rebrand launched in Q1 2023, across all brand comms, owned digital channels, and in-store signage / collateral

  • Reported sales were up 14.6% in Q4 2023; high single digit growth versus the previous year

  • The business opened 19 new stores in the year following the rebrand; further driving growth and customer acquisition into the Nordstrom ecosystem. The new stores leveraged the new brand identity and focused on personal, digital and non-digital experiences

Approach Highlights

  • Learn—stakeholder interviews; cultural and competitive safaris; semiotic analysis; store visits and online shops; use of existing consumer research  

  • Build—strategic territory creation in parallel with creative territories; brand architecture created to organize core, signature, and seasonal experiences

  • Deploy—multidisciplinary stakeholder engagement plan executed from start; phased roll-out planned and implemented, from digital to comms to in-store redesign 

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