JCP mea culpa drives Buzz

Ted MarzilliCEO YouGov Direct
June 05, 2013, 8:16 PM GMT+0

After seeing its consumer perception decline during former CEO Ron Johnson’s reign, J.C. Penney’s apology and customer thank you videos posted last month seem to be helping toward a possible recovery. J.C. Penney was one of the top ten gainers in consumer perception for the month of May.

The retailer has seen its perception with adults 18 plus decline steadily from March 2012 hitting an apparent trough April 30th 2013, and representing its lowest level since at least January 2008.

However, the day after hitting their April low, J.C. Penney posted a video admitting that they had made mistakes, followed two weeks later by another thanking customers for “coming back to us.” The action seemed to drive perception back up throughout May, although still not far enough to reach the average of its rivals.

J.C. Penney’s recent comeback was led by women 18+, who appeared more forgiving about the chain’s discount and management issues than men.

J.C. Penney and the J.C. Penney Competitors Sector were measured with YouGov BrandIndex’s Buzz score, which asks respondents "If you've heard anything about the brand in the last two weeks, through advertising, news or word of mouth, was it positive or negative?" Results were screened for adults 18+. Brands in the J.C. Penney Competitors Sector include Kohls, Target, Costco, TJ Maxx, Sam’s Club, Walmart, Kmart, Big Lots and BJ’s Wholesale.

On March 1, 2012, JC Penney’s Buzz score was 32, while the average of its competitors was 17. On April 30, 2013, JC Penney’s Buzz score was 2, while its competitors were at 10.

J.C. Penney’s score ramped up from 2 to 8 on April 28th, and currently stands at 7. The current score for J.C. Penney competitors is 9.

Buzz score for JCP and Competitors