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Minneapolis agency Colle McVoy has been selected by La-Z-Boy, the nearly century-old furniture company, to help lead a refresh of the iconic brand. The agency will provide strategy, design, public relations and influencer marketing to reposition the La-Z-Boy brand from one of nostalgia to a more active, dynamic and distinctive brand for modern audiences.
La-Z-Boy, which is based in Michigan, picked a fellow Midwest agency that it said aligned with its values to move the brand forward.
“We’re really at a point where we were looking for some additional partners to help really navigate our path forward,” Christy Hoskins, CMO of La-Z-Boy, told Adweek, adding that Colle McVoy will partner with La-Z-Boy’s longtime agency partner RPA on the rebrand.
La-Z-Boy had put out an RFP for a PR partner, and Colle McVoy originally put itself up for that role, but the brand was also looking for a creative collaborator on the rebrand, an agency that was strategically minded and focused on the deliverables, and it found that in Colle McVoy.
“We’re unique in that we have a boutique design agency and a boutique PR agency under our roof,” said Jessica Henrichs, president at Colle McVoy. “Christy was really clear that she wanted an agency to take an earned creative approach to the assignment.”
Moving to a more influencer approach
La-Z-Boy aims to reach a broader set of consumers with the transformational power of comfort with two key takeaways, according to Hoskins. One is embracing its core strength, which is comfort. The other part is how the brand connects with consumers and builds its brand identity. For a long time, La-Z-Boy has relied on celebrities to promote the brand, and lately that has been Kristen Bell, who has been with the brand since 2019.
The brand is now moving away from Bell and moving to influencers.
“Where we’re focused right now is that mid-tier influencer, that has really built out an audience and has established their own lifestyle brand, but is not a celebrity,” said Hoskins, who has been with the brand for just over a year.
Henrichs added that the agency and brand are looking for influencers that intersect with the La-Z-Boy brand and those who have built a solid follower base.
“People who can really be authentic ambassadors for the brand, who understand what La-Z-Boy brings to the table. There are key parts of what La-Z-Boy stands for, and really reclaiming the laziness and the transformational power of comfort. That’s super relevant in culture today. We could all use more moments of lazy in our lives, so we’re really looking at creators and influencers who embody that space,” said Henrichs.
The brand identity work will extend to multiple phases, so there will be opportunities for Colle McVoy and La-Z-Boy to continue to work together creatively, while the PR will be on a project to project basis so far.
The rebrand could include a logo refresh as well, with imagery that will move beyond just a brown recliner, as well as new product launches from La-Z-Boy’s internal innovation team.
The new look will be launched in August.
“The chance to reinvent a 96-year-old brand and make it relevant and interesting for today and for new audience is my favorite thing to do and such a unique opportunity,” said Hoskins.
