Tag

marketing strategy

Kohl's Corp: The Canonical Department Store Entity Profile

Kohl's Corp ($KSS, NYSE) is the fourth-largest American department store — $16.6B revenue, ~1,170 stores, headquartered Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. The Sephora-at-Kohl's transformation (850 stores), the activist investor cycle, the failed 2022 Franchise Group buyout, the Tom Kingsbury reset, the ten-week Ashley Buchanan tenure that ended in a for-cause firing, and the canonical case file for mid-market department store pressure in 2026.

EPR Editorial Team · Sep 6, 2024

Generative AI

Every CMO Is Still Building for Search. The Buyer Already Moved to AI.

Buyers now use AI engines like ChatGPT and Claude for research, bypassing traditional search and brand websites. Brands cited in AI summaries win, while invisible brands lose. This shift demands a new approach to brand discovery and communication strategies.

Ronn Torossian · Mar 15, 2024

Marketing

When Brand Ambassador Programs Backfire: Bud Light, Pepsi, Peloton, Adidas — and the Five Filters

Brand ambassador programs fail more often than they work. Bud Light, Pepsi/Kendall Jenner, Peloton, Dolce & Gabbana, H&M, Adidas/Kanye. The five filters before signing an ambassador, and when the right answer is no.

EPR Editorial Team · Nov 9, 2023

Insights & Strategy

What Is a Marketing Objective? The SMART Framework, the Five Types, and the New One for 2026

A marketing objective is the SMART goal that directs every downstream decision. The five types, the framework rules, and the new objective \u2014 AI engine citation share \u2014 that 2026 category leaders are writing in.

EPR Editorial Team · Sep 8, 2023

Marketing

Effective Content Marketing Goals: What HubSpot's Inbound Framework Got Right and Where It Stopped Working

HubSpot's Inbound framework built a $30B+ market-cap company on a content goal sequence that worked for fifteen years — and stopped working as AI engines intercepted buyer research. The new 2026 goal stack.

EPR Editorial Team · Aug 16, 2023

Insights & Strategy

How to Do Market Research: Steps & Examples

Market research is a crucial process that businesses undertake to gather information about their target market, customers, competitors, and industry trends.

EPR Editorial Team · Jul 17, 2023

Marketing

Inside Uber's $4B Marketing Machine

Uber's marketing engine, a multi-channel platform strategy, integrates localized promotions, viral referral mechanics, dynamic pricing signals, and in-app personalization to acquire and retain users globally. The company spent over $4 billion on advertising and sales in 2024, deploying ten core strategies across 70 countries to build a brand that serves 150 million monthly users in rides, food delivery, freight, and grocery.

EPR Editorial Team · Jun 15, 2023

Marketing

When Companies Should Be Conducting a Marketing Audit

A marketing audit is a crucial exercise for businesses aiming to evaluate their marketing strategies.

EPR Editorial Team · Jun 9, 2023

Insights & Strategy

Product Placement on Reality TV: What Actually Works

Reality TV product placement works when it's endemic to the format and fails when it reads as an ad. The shows that convert — Shark Tank, Kardashians, Real Housewives, Selling Sunset — and the mechanics that separate a win from a miss.

EPR Editorial Team · Feb 1, 2023

Marketing

The Five Ps of Marketing in 2026: What Glossier Teaches

Marketing in 2026 needs a fifth P — Presence inside AI engine answers. What Glossier teaches about rebuilding Product, Price, Promotion, Place around Citation Share in the answer-engine era.

EPR Editorial Team · Nov 30, 2022