The post-pandemic shift toward leisure-driven shopping has compelled retail brands to invest in interactive in-store experiences and diverse media platforms. For instance, Gap Inc. is pioneering a "fashiontainment" model by recruiting media veterans and collaborating with musical groups like Katseye and Just Your Type. Leaders with entertainment backgrounds are steering these initiatives to embed apparel brands directly into cultural conversations. Ultimately, retaining customer attention across varied media formats helps merchants reach potential buyers much earlier in their purchasing journey.
Key points
Retailers are treating intellectual property as a crucial tool to cut through marketing n…: Retailers are treating intellectual property as a crucial tool to cut through marketing noise across video, audio, and live events.
Cross-sector leadership from the media industry is accelerating the operational blending…: Cross-sector leadership from the media industry is accelerating the operational blending of entertainment and traditional consumer commerce.
Engaging shoppers through cultural entertainment allows retail brands to build connection…: Engaging shoppers through cultural entertainment allows retail brands to build connections with consumers much earlier in their purchasing journeys.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
Legacy retailer Gap Inc. made an unconventional hire earlier this year: a chief entertainment officer.
It was a newly created role as the company tapped former Paramount executive Pam Kaufman to helm its entertainment, content and licensing platform. Gap has since rolled out major campaigns, partnering with bands like Just Your Type and building on the success of last year's ads with girl group Katseye.
"Beloved brands have value beyond the products they sell. Consumers identify with them, trust them and want to be part of their world," Kaufman told CNBC in a statement. "The key is authenticity: Every extension has to reflect what the brand stands for and give its fans a meaningful new way to experience it."
She said it's part of a broader goal to emphasize what Gap calls "fashiontainment," a strategy to blend retail and entertainment to better align with consumers. Gap is part of a growing cohort of retailers investing in entertainment and experiences both in-store and through exclusive online content to drive engagement.
"Brands are stories, and we are the storytellers," CEO Richard Dickson…
After a decade of drawing large crowds with trendy bakeries and independent boutiques, Singapore's earliest public housing estate is seeing a sharp decline in visitors and tourists. This slowdown has severely undercut revenues for local merchants, forcing several establishments to scale back operations or close earlier in the evenings. While retail operators seek ways to restore the neighborhood's former commercial buzz, long-time residents appreciate the return of quiet streets.
The long-serving investor is passing on leadership responsibilities within the venture firm after steering key bets across Indian consumer internet, enterprise tech, and fintech since 2010. His departure follows the firm securing $700 million for its eighth fund dedicated to early-stage artificial intelligence and software startups across India and the United States.
Melbourne-based Adorn Cosmetics has taken legal action against the software giant following a botched e-commerce migration that caused millions in losses and a 30 percent plunge in sales. The retailer agreed to the platform deal after being promised substantial revenue increases of up to 94 percent. Instead, severe technical missteps and delays depleted company resources and pushed the multi-million-dollar beauty brand to near insolvency.