Martha Not Confined to Linens at Kmart
By George Anderson
Martha Stewart is breaking out, so-to-speak. No, she hasn’t thrown off her tracking bracelet and fled house arrest to go cavorting around the Connecticut countryside. What she has done, along with Kmart, is introduce the first new additions to her Everyday brand products in three years.
The new items, ready-to-assemble furniture, meet the style and quality standards set for the brand, said Susan Lyne, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia’s chief executive officer and president.
“It is absolutely phenomenal to me. This is furniture in a box, but a queen-sized bed I would be thrilled to have in my house,” Ms. Lyne told the Detroit Free Press. “For $249, it takes about an hour to assemble.”
The new ready-to-assemble furniture will be the ninth line of products marketed under Ms. Stewart’s name at Kmart. Her products represent approximately five percent of the chain’s total sales.
Ms. Lyne did not offer any specifics about moving Martha Stewart products into Sears stores, but did say, there was clear opportunity to expand offerings under the brand to a new group of consumers.
Moderator’s Comment: What are your thoughts on the new Martha Stewart line of ready-to-assemble furniture being sold in Kmart? How do you see the Martha
Stewart brand developing/changing as it moves into Sears’ stores? –
George Anderson – Moderator
RTA furniture is a logical line extension for Martha Stewart and one that can easily be rolled out to Sears. I’ll assume that the packaging will follow Martha’s clean and easy-to-understand formula (which will be necessary in this category). Considering all of the licensing stretching that is going on right now, I wouldn’t rule out a Martha apparel launch. Women’s apparel continues to be a weakness in both entities, so why not?
Martha Stewart and her new product lines will become ubiquitous in both Sears and Kmart, just as she has become in the media.
She will continue to be successful but I can’t resist letting this expansion of “Ms. Americana” into Sears occur without a bit of comic relief. Envision, if you will, a future Sears ad showing a beautifully-figured, scantily-clad woman assembling a large piece of furniture with a headline that reads: “It’s so darn easy to assemble this ‘sweet’ king-size Martha Stewart bed in my Martha Stewart bra and with my Martha Stewart-approved Craftsmen tools.” In the upper right-hard corner of the ad, the 62-year-old Martha smiles demurely. Full speed ahead, Martha. The world is your oyster these days … and the Detroit automakers could use your marketing help after Sears is solved.
Martha should add her name to any reasonable product line possible. Some will succeed, some will fail. But in the end, her brand will be endemic in American homes. The new furniture line, with its IKEA-like features, will do very well.
Today Martha announced the Martha Channel on Sirius satellite radio. She is an aggressive marketing behemoth that is more targeted than ever. I look forward to Martha’s upcoming Trump-like reality TV show. Just more brand recognition.