J. C. Penney takes on Manhattan

J. C. Penney is ready for the Big Apple, but is the Big Apple ready for J. C. Penney? The chain is looking to make a big splash when it opens its first-ever store in Manhattan (on July 31, at Manhattan Mall in Herald Square). It’s pulling out all the stops -- and digging into its deep pockets -- to create a memorable first impression with a multimedia advertising and promotional campaign.

J. C. Penney’s Manhattan marketing blitz was detailed today, in an article in The New York Times.

The article reveals that, along with the traditional media advertising, there will be a host of extras, including shopping bags with the letters “NYC” highlighted inside the J. C. Penney name, a unique logo, and customized content on the chain’s Web site (jcpnewstores.com/nyc).

As for the ads, they are done in a tongue-in-cheek style designed to appeal to New Yorkers. Some of the ads also take on Herald Square’s most venerable retail tenant: Macy’s.

“We heard Herald Square needed a good department store,” one ad reads, according to the report.

Recession aside, it will be interesting to see how a chain long associated with middle America fares in the middle of an urban playground, one that also happens to be America’s fashion capital. What do you think -- will J. C. Penney have Big Apple appeal?