Eileen Fisher Essay

In 2009 Eileen Fisher had to make a decision about her brand. Was she going to be conservative and keep her original consumer happy, or was she going to try to appeal to a broader base of customers? Her brand was associated with the affluent, middle-aged, baby boomer woman. It was a woman who had a lot of discretionary income, with enough cash to afford upscale clothing. The association with women that fit the aforementioned demographic was what made the brand successful in the first place. The brand exhibited their own personality by employing salespeople who, “shared the same lifestyle with the EILEEN FISHER core customer” (3, Keinan et. Al). This is an important part to their strategy. They make women feel comfortable in their stores. It is all part of the brand image that Fisher valued for her apparel. As any apparel retailer does, the brand aims to have stylish clothes. Fisher aimed to keep her line of apparel simple and
Their brand image evoked strength and stature. The brand’s cultural values embodied: inspiring creativity, instilling confidence, and cultivating connection. Cultivating connection with customers and employees was what propelled this brand to the next level. Creating something that their current customer base is unfamiliar with threatens the established connection they worked so hard to achieve. Their current customer base is part of the, “Established women” (50’s and 60’s) segment. The other segments include “Emerging women” (30’s and 40’s) and “Nascent women” (teens and 20’s). I believe what they should have done is kept the EILEEN FISHER tag as part of their established women line and added some modern touches to their existing designs. The company was financially healthy and had nothing to worry about in the short term, the only negative effect was that of a macroeconomic level, which the brand cannot