From Oxford to omnichannel: How Brooks Brothers & Eddie Bauer stay relevant

Update: 2025-09-10

Description

In this episode, Brian Schmidt, VP of Integrated Marketing & Ecommerce at Brooks Brothers and Eddie Bauer, joins host Kailin Noivo to explore how heritage brands with centuries of history are being reimagined for the modern consumer.

Brian shares the story behind Brooks Brothers’ 125th-anniversary Oxford button-down campaign, the importance of mapping distinct customer journeys, and why physical flagships remain essential in an increasingly digital world. He also unpacks the realities of tech-stack modernization, the balance between creative risk and loyalist expectations, and where real synergies emerge across Catalyst Brands.

If you’re leading a legacy brand, or building one you hope will last, this conversation is packed with lessons on staying relevant without losing your roots.

What You’ll Learn

Why modernizing heritage brands is more than a platform swap and where costs/returns really sit (ESP, CDP, infra).
How to map 3–5 real customer journeys instead of forcing one “monolith” path.
The anatomy of a product-led heritage campaign (125th Oxford button-down) that travels across OOH and CTV.
How to push creative risk without alienating loyalists (and why feedback is instant and loud).
Why stores are indispensable for suiting and how flagships function as brand stages.
Where portfolio synergies pay off (loyalty/email contracts) vs. where they don’t (one-size-fits-all platform shifts).

If you’re an operator or brand leader looking to cut through the hype and see where ecommerce innovation is really heading, this episode is for you.

👉 Watch the full episode here: https://www.noibu.com/blog/podcast/brian-schmidt-brooks-brothers-ecommerce-modernization

Want to uncover hidden friction and convert more revenue? Click https://bit.ly/3VJiAi4 to book a demo of Noibu — the ecommerce monitoring and experience analytics platform.

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