Last year, it introduced an inclusive sizing collection with model Ashley Graham, before staging “The Other Venice Wedding,” a $10,000 celebration for a real couple in Venice, California, to contrast with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’s lavish nuptials in Venice, Italy.
These efforts are part of JCPenney’s broader turnaround strategy after years of declining sales. Thalberg joined JCPenney as a consulting chief marketing officer in 2024 and took on the expanded role at Catalyst Brands in 2025.
Earlier this year, JCPenney said store traffic was up 6% year-over-year since “Yes, JCPenney!” launched. However, its Q1 2026 net sales fell 4.6% YOY to $1.25 billion.
Thalberg told ADWEEK the brand’s turnaround “hasn’t been a perfectly straight line,” partly because “our audience is real American customers, and they’ve had a tough year.”
However, the crucial back-to-school period is “off to a great start,” she added. “We’re encouraged by what we’re seeing.”
“There are many people who don’t have an up-to-date understanding of what’s inside [JCPenney’s] doors,” Thalberg said. “We’re telling a story in a fresh way to get you to see JCPenney with new eyes.”
