Photo courtesy of NRF
In a session at the NRF Big Show, the global brand presidents of VF Corp’s top brands -- Caroline Brown, The North Face; Sun Choe, Vans; and Nina Flood, Timberland -- discussed the strategies they’re employing to transform their brands.
“Transformation, as we all know, in this room, is one of the most overused words in business,” said Mindy Grossman -- vice chair of Consello and former CEO of Weight Watchers and Home Shopping Network -- who led the discussion. “Brands think that if they have a new logo, they put a sign on the wall and a new mission, they're transformed. True transformation is large, holistic and often radical change. And this is not an easy thing, among other things, it requires a visionary leader, the alignment of the organization at every level, the support of the board, investment dollars and, yes, very importantly, resilience.”
Brand Transformations Can Vary From Retailer to Retailer, But Share Commonalities
Brown, who assumed leadership of The North Face in June 2024, said she was fortunate that the brand has some “incredible assets,” including the brand’s 59-year history and passionate employee and fan base. However, she added that, “Like many brands who have been around for a long time, we started to sway and chase areas that maybe we had some business in, but maybe we didn't really have any business being in.”
The North Face has benefited from simplifying its focus on three areas: snow, climb, and trail.
“Making that decision drove all the other decisions of how we structured the company from an organizational perspective, from a marketing and a messaging perspective, from what we put forth to consumers in our retail stores and our wholesale outlets,” said Brown.
Choe, the former Lululemon executive who began leading Vans in July 2024, said she’s prioritizing having the “right team,” aligning around Vans’ purpose, and emphasizing “product excellence” over volume. She also stressed the importance of “dimensionalizing” the brand -- or understanding Vans’ reach, rooted in the “Off The Wall” mindset, extends well beyond skate to California lifestyle and music and arts.
Choe likewise preaches resilience to her team. She said, “This is not for the faint of the heart, and results do lag after decisions are made. So, it really is being able to be confident in your choices and know that you're doing the right thing and to really stay the course.”
Flood, who assumed leadership of Timberland in December 2023, observed that Timberland’s organizational structure, go-to-market processes, and global brand architecture needed an “overhaul.” But her team particularly “needed to have a complete and total mind shift change” to better understand Timberland’s appeal, particularly with fashion-seekers.
“I wanted to make sure that the teams had a focal point, a safe harbor that they could return to and be inspired by,” said Flood. “So, we set upon creating a compelling vision that was centered on the power of the brand and a plan to execute it. And this meant really getting a deeper understanding of our consumer and how to connect with them.”
Flood said “true transformation” is more than making incremental changes. She said, “You need bold leadership…You have to be willing to challenge everything. So, all those sacred objects, the legacies, the untouchables. They’re all up for looking at and investigating to see what we need to transform.”