There’s always an insight that lights the fuse. The one for this specific firework show was this:

CONSUMER INSIGHT: People turn to trusted voices—like moms and BFFs—because clothing is personal and shapes how the world sees us.

BRAND INSIGHT:  JCPenney isn’t out of touch; it’s just out of frame. The cultural memory is still vivid; it just needs the right spotlight to make a comeback.

A campaign wouldn’t become a campaign without the strategy. Without it, it’s just another nostalgic aesthetic that fizzles out.

For this one, we grounded everything in this idea:

STRATEGY: For the millennial and Gen Z women who associate shopping with connection and nostalgia, JCPenney brings back the joy of real-life fashion discovery—surrounded by the trusted voices who made shopping fun in the first place.

By embracing its past instead of running from it, JCPenney taps into an emotional memory that still holds power. And instead of chasing trends, it becomes the origin story of trendiness itself.

This is where things get loud.

To bring JCPenney back into cultural conversation, we staged the ultimate comeback moment: a Y2K-inspired fashion show at New York Fashion Week, proudly sponsored by JCPenney. Think metallics, butterfly clips, platform sandals; the works. The goal? Prove that nostalgia can be stylish, that “basic” can be iconic, and that JCPenney has always had the range.

We turned JCPenney into a style playground for grown-up mall rats, where trusted staples meet self-expression. By tapping into early-2000s aesthetics and pairing them with high-energy influencer content, social media challenges, and throwback tracks, we sparked a celebration of fashion memories reimagined for now.

JCPenney isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel. We’re just rolling it back to the good part. ;)

Working on JCPenney taught me that sometimes the brands people underestimate are the ones bursting with the most potential. At first glance, JCPenney might seem like a relic from the past; a brand stuck in a “basic” box. But that’s what made it exciting. There’s something electric about taking a legacy brand and uncovering the magic hidden in its history. When you tap into nostalgia and blend it with cultural momentum, suddenly that "basic" brand becomes the one everyone's talking about.

I also learned how important it is to embrace the tension between past and present. Instead of running from JC Penney’s reputation, we leaned into it with self-aware fun and heart. It was a chance to flip the script and to turn a perceived weakness into a strength.

And from a team perspective, this campaign reinforced the power of collaboration in fast-paced environments. Everyone brought their own perspective to the table, and the more we shared, the more the vision evolved. The energy of transforming “the store your mom dragged you to” into the headliner at New York Fashion Week? That’s the kind of creative spark I want to chase again and again.