Talking with…Jay Dunn, Lane Bryant Marketing VP

Shop.org is beginning a new series that will highlight a different person in e-commerce every two weeks. We’re calling it “Talking with…” and it’s an opportunity to learn a bit more about the backgrounds and opinions of the retailers, service providers, analysts and others who encompass the Shop.org community.

Our inaugural post features Jay Dunn, Vice President of Marketing at Lane Bryant. We asked Jay for his insights on social media, what he thinks about the “changed” consumer, and where he draws inspiration. Here’s what he had to say:

The economy is the 800-pound gorilla in the room and it’s affecting everything. Aside from that, what do you see as the biggest issue facing retailers right now?

It’s still all about the gorilla. And he’s one surly monkey. He snarls at the neighbors. Molts all over the rug. And, frankly, could use a good loofah scrub and an aromatherapy session at a posh spa – preferably one with adequate cocktail service.

Worse, the media, deprived of a Lewinsky, Lohan, or Ken Lay fix, has roused from its stupor long enough to drumbeat a populist mantra of economic doom-and-gloom, gleefully creating villains and victims to fill the non-stop news cycle.

Add bankruptcies, bailouts, bank failures, and budget spending that exceeds anything seen in this country’s history, and consumers are hiding under the box springs – their discretionary income hastily stuffed in the pillowtop mattress above.

Let’s talk about social networking. In five years, what do you think we’ll have to say about it?

As a term, social networking is redundant. It’s hard to have one without the other. For professionals, it’s what we’ve always done – connect, share, correspond, network. We achieve it at conferences, award shows, airport bars during layovers. For the public, it’s even more monumental – connect to the world from the sanctity of the kitchen table. Technology has added an element of mystery to the endeavor, but socializing is not mysterious. It’s what humans do. And it’s becoming more advanced every day.

How does this huge acceptance of social media among shoppers change how retail marketers should think, act, and talk?

The addiction of “anniversarying” the previous year hampers companies from seizing a new success next year. Fresh ideas, promising technologies, and relevant opportunities to engage consumers are deemed risky and unproven when compared to last year’s tried-and-true. Since “early adoption” cannot be predicted any better than “erosion of relevance,” what worked last year usually wins. But like with email, e-commerce, and PDAs, companies will adapt.

I see from your bio that you’re the founder and president of a company called Supergroup, a social network for marketing, new media, and design professionals. Tell me about it.

I started Supergroup to bring together industry professionals from retail, marketing, design, new media, and ad agencies. Mostly, I was friend-collecting the talent I’d acquired and admired over the years, hoping to lure them into a virtual “speakeasy” where we could collaborate without fear of competition. LinkedIn, MySpace, Facebook, Plaxo, Twitter, all allowed us to connect, but not to collaborate. The lack of a venue to collaborate became the primary focus of Supergroup. It has also become a laboratory for me – a place to feature cool stuff I’ve come across, and to test new tools for effectiveness. I’ll speak about some of those in Scottsdale.

Speaking of Scottsdale, you’re a keynote speaker at Shop.org’s Online Marketing workshop, where you’ll be talking about “marketing through the apocalypse.” What do you mean by that phrase?

“Apocalypse, noun: a universal or widespread destruction or disaster. Great or total devastation; doom. The end of the world.” Since the world is ending, I sensed an opening to be prophetic with little competition, so I signed on. When I found out there were actually other speakers, I was disappointed. I was ready to prattle on for the entire three days.

A big theme that emerged from NRF’s Annual Convention in January was that, even when the economy rebounds, the consumer has fundamentally changed. Do you agree?

Where the Bush administration was criticized for inaction, Obama and team have promoted a new multi-billion-dollar proposal, on average, about every six seconds. Retailers, like the rest of the country, have no choice but to fasten their seat belts, stow their drink trays, and hope we’re somewhere near the Hudson River with lots of tugs nearby.

Discounters and clubs are doing decently. Apparel is showing some signs of life, particularly in teen, where Buckle, Aeropostale, and Hot Topic are holding up well. I think the “irrational exuberance” of discretionary spending has been tempered by stark realities, but unless the financial system completely collapses, the customer will eventually find a way back to normalcy. We’re Americans. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of the new product.

So we’re in the middle of one of the most difficult economic periods in history and we’re dealing with a customer that has changed forever. Where’s the silver lining here? (Is there one?)

By the time you read this, most silver linings will have been pawned by Bernie Madoff investors to cover the cable bill. Based on my knowledge about the previous century’s “most difficult economic period in history,” if you are a retailer specializing in either “dust” or “bowls,” this might be the time for a reverse stock split.

In addition to Lane Bryant, you’ve worked for other retailers including The Home Depot and Brookstone. Can you talk about some of the similarities among those companies?

There might seem obvious differences between the hardware, gadgetry, and fashion customers, but the motivations are similar. “Give the people what they want,” Harry Cohn, head of Columbia Pictures, said. Of them all, fashion is the most fickle, but Lane Bryant has amazingly talented people, and we get it right more often than not.

What challenges do you encounter in heading up marketing for a company that focuses on plus-sized women?

The simple realization that the plus-size woman is no different than any other woman. She wants fashion, she wants style, she wants color, she wants to look good. Nobody in the industry develops fashion that fits the curvy woman better than Lane Bryant. We’re the experts, having done it for over 100 years.

Tell me something about Lane Bryant that most people don’t know.

Lane Bryant was started by Lena Bryant, who had immigrated to America from Lithuania in 1895, at the age of 16. While setting up her business, a bank manager misspelled her first name and she was too timid about her halting English to correct him. The first Lane Bryant store opened on Fifth Avenue in New York City in 1904.

I recently read that your company is giving catalogs another try. Can you tell me about the decision to bring a catalog back, how this one is different, etc.?

The news was slightly overblown. Basically, we’ve added toll-free shopping to our retail direct mail vehicles, beefed up the product descriptions, expanded to a larger page count, and have begun marketing the “3 Ways To Shop” angle. What used to be known as the “Lane Bryant Catalog” was a pure direct mail model, offering a different product mix than the retail stores. That publication has been shuttered.

Charming Shoppes, Lane Bryant’s parent company, has a program called Keeping Kids Warm that donates coats to needy kids. Care to talk a little about this?

October 7, 2008 marked the launch of the Keeping Kids Warm program’s 13th season. Keeping Kids Warm visited nearly 40 schools across the country, including communities in Northern California, Kansas and rural areas of the United States. The 2008 program demonstrated a 16% increase in students served – 3,000 more than the 2007 season. The Keeping Kids Warm program’s successful 2008 PR campaign also garnered over 3.5 million TV and print media impressions. At the close of the Giving Season on November 20, 2008, the program total of coats distributed reached 115,000, a truly inspiring accomplishment.

I’m curious how you got into retail and what drew you to marketing.

I started my career as a graphic designer. I was also a musician, so both those paths competed for dominance early on. I did agency work, publications, lots of design work for many companies. I owned a boutique design agency. The myth that “creatives” cannot be business-oriented is foolish. And I can tell you, running a band is a lot like working in retail – crazy, unpredictable, lots of travel and bad hotel food. I do miss the groupies and sleeping till 3pm, though.

What companies or executives (retail or otherwise) do you look to for inspiration? Why?

I find inspiration in a variety of diverse professionals. I’d love to have the command of language of Barack Obama. The humanity of ex-Buccaneers and Colts head coach Tony Dungy. The cultural analysis skill of Malcolm Gladwell. I’d also like to look like George Clooney, as long as I’m making a list.

I imagine you spend a lot of time at work, but tell me what you like to do in your spare time.

I still design. I’m working on a book. I’m an unabashed technogeek. I squander my free time trying new software, tinkering with websites and tools, and chasing links across the web to learn about something new. My lawn suffers for my art. My wife is a tolerant, lovely, and patient human being.

Finish this sentence: “If I didn’t work in retail, I…”

If I didn’t work in retail, I’d work FOR retail. I have a short attention span and get bored pretty easily, but retail is a state of constant change. It seems to match my metabolism and, despite the economy and the state of retail in general, I’m having a good time getting the pieces into place to get us back to consistent success.

Shop.org members, connect with Jay:

• Twitter: twitter.com/Supergroup
• Facebook: Jay Dunn
• Plaxo: jaydunn.myplaxo.com
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jaydunn
• Website: supergroup.ning.com