Coach's CMO, hired at Louis Vuitton without luxury experience, used her anthropology background to her advantage. Being an outsider allowed her to question industry norms and see the customer experience with fresh eyes, turning a potential disadvantage into her "superpower."
The fear of highlighting existing flaws can paralyze a company's sustainability efforts. Coach's approach with Coachtopia embraces taking "bold but imperfect steps." Acknowledging that solutions aren't perfect but still moving forward is crucial, as the alternative is to make no progress at all.
As a leader becomes more senior and a brand gains momentum, their role must shift. The Coach CMO moved from being an "internal startup disruptor" to a leader focused on driving clarity, consistency, and coherence, enabling the organization to scale effectively and empower teams.
To radically reimagine its linear production model, Coach created Coachtopia as an internal startup. This separate entity was freed from legacy structures, allowing it to take bigger risks in circular design and incubate new processes that could eventually be scaled and integrated back into the main brand.
For the first time, Coach led its Black Friday and holiday season with brand messaging, not promotions. This reflects a conviction that building genuine brand desire reduces the need to compromise on price, even during peak sales periods, thus protecting brand value.
Coach's CMO describes how, as a VP at Louis Vuitton, she took a lateral move to run a flagship store. While confusing to peers, this operational role provided invaluable general management experience that a traditional promotion couldn't, ultimately accelerating her career.
Coach's CMO cites Spam's journey—from immigrant staple to source of shame, now a trendy icon—as proof that brands don't have fixed meanings. People and culture constantly redefine a brand's significance, a lesson she learned before any formal brand strategy.
A critical leadership lesson is to categorize challenges to prioritize energy effectively. Some issues are minor "skirmishes" to let go, some are "battles" worth pushing for, and a select few are "wars" that demand total commitment. This framework prevents burnout and ensures focus on what truly matters.
Instead of using demographics, Coach conducted ethnographic research to understand Gen Z's core tensions, like craving self-expression while valuing sustainability. This insight into their "dualities" and "emotional trade-offs" was the foundation for their "Expressive Luxury" positioning, which resonates on a deeper human level.
Confidence isn't innate; it's earned through action. By embracing roles without feeling fully prepared, leaders build resilience and expand their capabilities. This principle—that courage comes before confidence—is central to both Coach's internal culture and its external brand purpose, "Courage to be Real."
Coach transformed its growth strategy by shifting from retaining loyal customers to acquiring new ones at market entry. By aiming to be the "first luxury bag" for the 25 million women who turn 18 each year, they redefined their total addressable market from incremental share gains to a massive, recurring opportunity.