Gen-X, Millennial Female Opps: Ethan Allen shifts towards digital marketing (Score 54)

Ethan Allen (EA) announced during its fiscal 2021 Q3 earnings report that it is working to improve its marketing strategy. It will still invest in traditional channels like TV and direct mail, but it is shifting more and more towards digital. This includes its website, email marketing and its 2021 style book, that is now offered digitally. It is also building its interior design business and opened seven new design centers in 2020. These centers allow EA to provide personalized services, which it believes helps improve sales. There could be opportunities for local ad sellers to promote these design centers. 

According to Pathmatics, EA earned 260.4k impressions YTD through mobile display ads (49%), desktop display ads (46%) and Facebook ads (5%). It placed the majority (99%) of these ads site direct onto facebook.com and kolotv.com. It placed the remainder (1%) indirectly through The Trade Desk onto sites such as kolotv.com, news.yahoo.com and spin.com. It spent around $2.8k on digital display ads YTD, just 6% of the $46.9k it spent in this channel during the same time period of 2020. Full-year spend equaled $121.8k in 2020, just 42% of $286.3k spent in 2019. 

Per iSpot, EA spent around $42.6k on national TV ads YTD, just 34% of the $126.3k spent in this channel during the same time period of 2020. Full-year spend jumped from $156.9k in 2019 to $397.5k in 2020. In 2020, it placed ads during programming such as "Good Morning America," "Live with Kelly and Ryan," "MSNBC Live With Stephanie Ruhle," "NCIS: Los Angeles" and "Seinfeld."

Sellers-- EA targets Gen-X and millennials with a heavy female skew. It reaches these demographics through digital display and national TV ads. While spend has been decreasing, it does plan to keep allocating funds to marketing. It also normally spend more in H2 than H1. It also invests in OOH, print, radio and local broadcast TV ads, per Kantar. Sellers should reach out offering relevant ad space. 

Agency & martech readers-- To the best of my knowledge, EA does not work with any outside agencies at this time. There are no signs indicating this company is looking for an agency partner. However, you can try reaching out offering project-based work.