Laura Darling, director of retail trading at N Brown Group, discusses not using AI for the sake of it; sponsoring Joe Marler’s podcast; and why high-quality data investment is just as important as channel investment.
The size-inclusive fashion etailer has “made data a strategic priority”.
“It’s what helps us to understand what different customers need and respond in a way that feels genuinely useful,” explains Darling. “That means more personalised communications, richer product discovery and a smoother end-to-end journey. That allows customers to find the right products more easily.”
She stresses that while “investing in high-quality data and measurement is just as important as investing in the channels themselves”, they are not tempted to invest in technology just because of the hype.
“It’s not about using AI for the sake of it. It’s about using high-quality data to make every interaction more useful,” notes Darling.
“We see technology as an enabler of our purpose to champion inclusion, ensuring every customer feels understood and supported throughout their experience.”
This technology is shared between N Brown’s brands, which includes JD Williams, Simply Be and Jacamo, providing a connective layer across the portfolio. But it also enables each brand to operate with greater consistency, efficiency and insight, while retaining its own distinct customer proposition.
Standing out
A unique way to ensure Jacamo distinguishes itself from the competition is the recent sponsorship of Joe Marler’s podcast. The former England rugby star and Traitor’s standout “genuinely reflects what the brand stands for”.
“Our customers have really connected with his humour, authenticity and confidence, which made it a natural decision to build on our existing relationship and make him a brand ambassador,” says Darling. Marler also became the face of Jacamo’s Spring/Summer 2026 campaign.
The podcast sponsorship was a standalone activation that went live during a period when N Brown are not very active in market, from November to January. It enabled the digital brand to experiment.
“The podcast sponsorship was a strong way to test audience receptivity and understand whether Joe connected with customers and social followers. It also gave us an authentic way to engage audiences while our campaigns were otherwise off-air, and helped keep the brand memorable in the build-up to Christmas,” she adds.
Marler’s podcast sponsorship also provided N Brown with the perfect measuring stick for digital touch-point success.
“It was the only campaign activity live at the time, we could confidently attribute changes in brand health to the sponsorship,” she states.
Following its launch in November, brand awareness increased month-on-month and jumped by 7ppt year-on-year. It also resulted in a social media boost: a 209 per cent increase week-on-week, becoming the most engaged week.
The reaction to the podcast sponsorship highlights how newer channels can create measurable momentum, but a wider marketing mix is still needed.
“Every touchpoint plays a different role, so we don’t believe success can be measured through a single metric,” Darling notes. “Some channels are about building awareness and strengthening brand affinity, while others are designed to drive engagement or conversion.
“Rather than looking at channels in isolation, we’re increasingly focused on how they work together to build stronger customer relationships and deliver better customer and commercial outcomes.”
Delivering for all shapes, sizes and ages
N Brown takes the same approach to the brands within the group, they are not treated in isolation but as part of an ecosystem.
“Out strength is having a differentiated portfolio of strategic brands, each with its own proposition, personality and customer,” says Darling.
Alongside JD Williams, Simply Be and Jacamo, N Brown also has heritage brands – Fashion World, Oxendales, Ambrose Wilson – which continue to serve loyal customers with propositions that are familiar, trusted and relevant to their needs.
“Protecting those individual identities is incredibly important because our customers choose our brands for different reasons at different stages of life,” she adds.
Each brand may need its own tone of voice, product curation and creative expression but the group’s digital-first vision acts as the common foundation behind the scenes.
“Where we come together is through the capabilities that sit behind those brands. By investing in shared data, technology and digital infrastructure, we can give every brand the tools to deliver a more relevant and seamless customer experience, while still allowing each to express its own identity.
“It’s about combining the scale of the Group with the authenticity of each individual brand, ensuring we’re continually evolving as a digital-first retailer without losing what makes each brand distinctive.”
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