JCPenney is opening the next chapter in its “Yes, JCPenney” brand relaunch with a fall campaign meant to push the legacy retailer back into shoppers’ consideration set. Called “The Other September Issue,” it is a gentle nod at Vogue’s iconic fall fashion issue but replaces runway models with five teachers from San Marcos, TX—representing the nation’s 99% of hardworking, everyday folks the company is targeting. 

“Through this latest expression of ‘Yes, JCPenney,’ we are spotlighting some of the communities we admire most and who exemplify our customers: teachers,” said Marisa Thalberg, EVP and chief customer and marketing officer at Catalyst Brands, JCPenney’s corporate parent. The campaign will launch on Substack, across social channels and during Thursday night’s Detroit Lions-Buffalo Bills game on Prime Video.  

This is the next phase in a journey that Thalberg and team have been on since early last year to reposition JCPenney as the smarter, value-driven alternative in the crowded retail landscape. But while the brand work has generated attention, JCPenney still faces a long road to changing consumer perception after a twenty-year fall from grace that accelerated with its 2020 bankruptcy. 

Refining The Message

The “Yes, JCPenney” campaign kicked off in April 2025 with a simple promise: trending fashion at an amazing price. Since then, the brand has leaned into a series of “other” moments design to flip customers’ expectations. 

It staged an “other” Venice, CA wedding in June for an everyday couple—riffing off the multimillion-dollar wedding of Jeff Bezos-Lauren Sánchez in Venice, Italy—dressing the entire bridal party and picking up the tab for the venue and catering for under $10,000.  

And in another subversive move, it hosted an “other” Paris runway fashion show in Paris, TX in March featuring locals wearing head-to-toe JCPenney fashions while the established fashion world had its eyes fixed on the runway shows in Paris, France.  

Then this summer it relaunched its JCPenney rewards program and tied it to the Aéropostale brand, another Catalyst holding, resulting in a 14% lift in reward signups. 

And its tongue-in-cheek “Retail Rejuvenation” campaign—a mock therapeutic retreat to break shoppers’ off-price shopping habits—was coupled with a limited time Retail Regrets Trade-In program offering a $15 off coupon for shoppers who bring in disappointing off-price purchases. It also expanded the focus from fashion into other categories such as beauty and cookware.

Now JCPenney is sharpening the message with a new tagline: “Everyone Deserves a Better Deal.” Thalberg said the customer have been “battling through headwinds in the macro economy,” making ‘no’ the default response to buying something new. “We believe with a ‘better deal’ it can be everyday moments of ‘yes’ for our customers.”

The message that is resonating most sharply is the focus on real people with real needs and worries. “The journey of changing customer consideration and translating that into action is to start getting people to come to JCPenney with a question mark—what can I find today,” she said. 

“It’s never a completely straight line, but we feel the responsibility to be real and authentic to take this legacy business and build it back up to where it deserves to be—a store built on deals where you can find really great things that you want and need for your family, not just cheap, poor-quality stuff,” she continued.

Teachers—who make up about 10% of JCPenney’s customer base and are real-world influencers for their students—are taking a star turn in the latest campaign. “They deserve to be the cover models of magazines that inspire others,” Thalberg observed, adding that more real-customer campaigns are planned. 

“Often brands and marketing over-index on elitism with a coastal bias—that’s not at all how we think. We want to celebrate and serve those people who are our customers and make them feel well represented,” Thalberg said.

The brand has seen some early wins. For the fourth year in a row, it was named America’s Best Department store in USA TODAY’s Readers’ Choice poll, ahead of Von Maur and Belk. And Morning Consult just ranked JCPenney the 20th-fastest-growing brand among Gen X consumers and 6th-fastest growing brand among parents. 

But Thalberg’s challenge isn’t awareness—virtually everyone knows the JCPenney name. It’s getting consumers to reconsider the value proposition and add JCPenney back into their selective set of shopping destinations. That will take time and she says the team is prepared to put it in.

Financial Results Still Lag

Retail results have yet to catch the positive tailwinds from the “Yes, JCPenney” message. Revenues dropped 5% for the fiscal year ending January 31, 2026, to $6.3 billion—a far cry from the $18 billion high in the aughts when the company operated over 1,000 stores. Today it has just under 650 stores with about 70% connected to malls. 

However, after a disappointing fourth quarter when sales slid by 8%, the pace of decline slowed in the first quarter, with revenues down 4% to $1.3 billion ending May 2, 2026. The company also reported a 5% uptick in average order value online as well as a 5% increase in digital traffic. 

“Overall the company was able to strategically manage through the softer demand environment, resulting in outperformance against internal expectations for the period,” the company reported to the SEC. It also noted outstanding performance in jewelry, home and activewear—Nike just joined the lineup, alongside Adidas. 

Despite digital gains, in-store traffic continues to flag. Placer.ai reports that in-store monthly visits have dropped an average of 4% year-over-year through August, with a 5% decline during peak back-to-school season. 

“Mid-tier department stores have faced challenges connecting with customers in a bifurcated economic environment, where shoppers are either looking for value or an elevated experience,” said Elizabeth Lafontaine, Placer.ai’s director of research. “JCPenney saw softer back-to-school visitation compared to other apparel brands, indicating that there might be a disconnect with its audience.”

Continuing To Carry The Message Forward

Thalberg counters that the back-to-school season extends well into September—the Other September Issue is design to keep the momentum going—and that JCPenney is far more than a women’s and men’s clothing store. Over 40% of revenues last year were generated in jewelry, handbags, beauty, home, kids clothing, footwear, toys and services. 

Coming next, the company is hosting a National Suit Up event from September 17 through 20 to prepare young job seekers for upcoming interviews. Beyond helping customers select work-appropriate apparel—over half of hiring managers say young applicants are unprepared for interviews, often showing up in unprofessional attire—JCPenney will also offer professional headshots in its portrait studio and $12 haircuts or blowouts in its salons. Its back-to-school $12 haircut promotion generated over 135,000 haircuts, including 18,000 new JCPenney Salon customers.

“Affordability is an obvious challenge for the majority of Americans,” Thalberg concluded. “We proudly stand for that, and not just for special moments of the year, like Black Friday, but every day. Whether you drive to a JCPenney store or go to our site, every day there are thousands of deals available—and if you’re not an existing JCPenney customer, you may not know that. So we are on a continuing journey of making people understand and believe that we are a place for everyday deals.”