AdExchanger Talks: "Sizing Up Success Metrics, With The CMO Of True Religion"

Date: January 21, 2026
Guest: Kristin (CMO & Head of Digital Growth, True Religion)
Host: [Name not provided in transcript]

Episode Overview

In this episode, AdExchanger Talks features Kristin, the CMO and Head of Digital Growth for True Religion. The discussion dives into the shifting and expanding role of the CMO in today’s retail environment, particularly in the context of True Religion’s recent resurgence. Core topics include success metrics, bridging branding and performance, the evolution of loyalty, AI in marketing, evaluating partners, and the challenge of staying relevant amid fashion cycles. Kristin offers an insider’s view of omni-channel growth, measurement sophistication, and the pressures and opportunities facing modern marketing leaders.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Modern CMO Role & Creating Lasting Impact

• Fast-paced leadership: Kristin has thrived at True Religion alongside a CEO whose mantra is “today, not tomorrow” (05:08). This urgent, results-driven culture fits her style and has helped her rise quickly: starting as CMO, then gaining responsibility for growth marketing, retention, and finally E-Commerce P&L.
• Clarity of Objective: From Day One, the metrics that mattered were crystal clear: “Drive growth, growth, and drive growth quickly.” (06:41)
• Actionable Playbook: Kristin leverages tried-and-true methods adapted from previous experiences at brands like PacSun and American Eagle, with an emphasis on agility and relevance.
• Tenure Tip:

  "If you're a CMO and you're trying to increase your tenure beyond what the average is, make sure you understand and you're very clear what is my remit, and then organize yourself and your team in a way that will help you and the team succeed against those business objectives."
  — Kristin (08:19)

2. Integrating Brand and Performance: Bringing Marketing & E-Commerce Under One Roof

• Direct Accountability: Kristin’s remit combines both branding and bottom-line P&L for E-Commerce, providing instant feedback on what works and enabling nimble pivots.
• Visibility as Power:

  "I know if something is working. I know if something isn't working...I can change something on a dime if I need to because I'm seeing the hourly traffic and sales come in for the website. And, you know, knowledge is power."
  — Kristin (09:33)

• Organizational Rationale: True Religion structured this way for transparency, speed, and unified objectives, rather than separating brand and e-comm.

3. Why True Religion Needed a CMO (Now)

• Leadership Reset: New CEO (Michael) returned in 2019, rethinking product pricing, logo prominence, and restoring the women's business.
• Foundation Building: Kristin was brought in after the brand had addressed product, price points, and leadership—“A new foundation had to be laid before you brought somebody in to unleash the marketing.” (12:18)
• Proof of Impact: Her debut holiday campaign with Quavo and India Love saw:
  • Website traffic up 50–60%
  • Sales up 20–30% YoY (14:24)

4. Measurement & Media: Tying Branding to Growth Targets

Tiered Paid Social Structure:

• Upper funnel (Brand awareness, e.g., Megan Thee Stallion holiday ad)
• Middle funnel (Influencers, trend stories, e.g., denim or color stories)
• Lower funnel (Product-specific, retargeting, back-in-stock ads)
  (15:35)

Growth Metrics Monitored:

• Traffic, ROAS, purchase & loyalty sign-ups
• Activating advanced measurement:

  "We've been working with an MMM vendor in 2025... to understand from an incrementality perspective, if we were to move the shells around and spend differently, not more, but differently in paid media, where would we see greater returns?"
  — Kristin (16:41)

• MMM vs. MTA: Moving beyond last-click attribution; excited but still testing early results. MMM also enables measurement of in-store footfall and sales. (18:08 & 18:38)

5. Integrating Physical Retail with Digital Growth

• Omni-channel Focus: 60 stores, strong mall and outlet presence (19:19)
• Unified Customer View: Loyalty, SMS, and email all linked via store QR codes and ERP integration for single-customer profiles (20:11).
• Loyalty Data at Scale: Nearly 10 million identifiable customers (21:39)
• Incentivizing Loyalty:
  • Attach loyalty to every transaction, online or IRL
  • Going beyond discounts: exclusive access, drops, personalized offers

6. Measuring Influencer & Organic Social Impact

• Influencer ROI: Paid partners can drive double- and triple-digit traffic lifts. Organic social (e.g., Alex Earle, Kylie Jenner) spikes traffic and women’s denim sales, but effects aren’t always durable.

  "It wasn't enough to sustain at the level that it hit the day that they posted... That's why our broader marketing strategy is how do you keep having these very brand-right, relevant spikes."
  — Kristin (23:36)

7. Riding Culture: Cyclical Trends & Staying Fluent

• Y2K/Nostalgia Factor: True Religion leverages nostalgia, but with a fresh, relevant spin—e.g., Von Dutch collab with Love Island cast and on-trend silhouettes.

  "Nostalgia is powerful when it's a foundation, not the full strategy. We're not simply replaying Y2K, we're evolving it and making it feel current..."
  — Kristin (33:50)

• Rapid Response: Keep marketing calendar multifaceted and tuned to pop culture, music, and strategic partners. (23:52, 34:55)

8. Loyalty Program Overhaul: Strategy and Results

• Omni-channel improvements: Points for social activity, reviews, and referrals, not just purchases (37:13)
• Access & Belonging:
  • Loyalty unlocks early access to drops and exclusive events.
  • AOV for loyalty members up to 20% higher than non-members.
• Personalization Path:

  "The more we know about you, the more we can personalize the experience... Not only the experience you have with the brand, but also product recommendations, things that you might want that have sold out and now are restocked, for example."
  — Kristin (39:24)

9. AI at True Religion: From Hype to Reality

• Site Use Cases:
  • AI chatbot for customer support
  • Personalized upsell suggestions (e.g., match top with jeans)
• Growth/Performance:
  • Ad platform AI for creative testing, audiences (Meta, Google)
• Creative:
  • Occasional internal use for concept imagery
  • Production still uses real shoots
    (41:23)
• CRM:
  • SMS and email copy/subject line optimization via AI
• Big Picture:

  "For us, the headline with AI is we use it to drive performance, personalization and ultimately efficiency and effectiveness."
  — Kristin (43:56)

10. Evaluating Partners & Tech Vendors

• Preferred Approach:

  “I value partners who are honest, data driven and focused on outcomes... Come with curiosity and a clear hypothesis around how can I help you solve this business problem... This stuff isn’t rocket science.”
  — Kristin (45:23)

• Time Wasters: Overly complicated pitches and lack of clear ROI aren’t welcome.
• Desirable:
  • Clarity, speed, and understanding of True Religion’s category and challenges.
  • Showcases on acquisition, retention, or personalization; with numbers, timeline, and tech lift (46:45)

11. In-House vs. Agency

• Kept In-House:
  • "We keep strategy, customer insight, and brand storytelling pretty close."
• Agency Use:
  • "We rely on partners where specialization, scale, or speed is required, such as technical execution, channel-specific expertise."
    — Kristin (48:00)
• Key: Integration and clear operating model, regardless of sourcing.

12. Marketing Buzzword Kristin Hates

• “Authentic” (49:13)
  • The word is overused and often unearned.

    "Real authenticity is proven through actions and community, not claimed in messaging by yourself."
    — Kristin (50:36)

  • Anecdote: Quavo’s True Religion tattoo as an example of “real” brand love vs. buzzword lip service.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Being CMO:

  “I like moving fast, I like trying things. I love the brand piece but I really enjoy the ecom piece as well.” (06:17)

• On Omnichannel Loyalty:

  “Get more people into those systems and... increase the attachment rate. We’re looking at ways to sweeten the value proposition... beyond discounts.” (21:50)

• On evaluating vendors:

  "Making it easy for us is just like heavenly. That’s definitely what I look for.” (47:11)

• On brand authenticity:

  “Come back to me when you have your brand tattooed on somebody’s body and then we’ll talk about authenticity.” (50:56, Interviewer)

Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• CMO tenure & keys to lasting impact: 04:21 – 08:37
• Brand vs. E-Com accountability: 08:37 – 10:23
• Why bring in a CMO now?: 10:23 – 15:01
• Measurement and media mix modeling: 15:01 – 18:59
• Retail stores in digital strategy: 18:59 – 22:09
• Measuring influencer/organic social: 22:09 – 25:01
• Trend cycles & staying relevant (Von Dutch/Love Island): 32:38 – 36:33
• Loyalty program reboot: 37:13 – 40:26
• AI in site, media & CRM: 41:23 – 44:36
• Evaluating partners: 44:36 – 47:39
• Agency vs. in-house: 47:48 – 48:52
• Most-hated buzzword: ‘Authentic’ 49:13 – 50:56

Summary Takeaways

• Kristin’s integrated remit over both brand and performance at True Religion enables a dynamic, data-driven, and agile marketing approach.
• Omni-channel loyalty, personalization, and sophisticated measurement (MMM) drive both short-term KPI gains and long-term brand value.
• AI is an active (not hype) tool in service, media, and CRM, but brand “authenticity” still comes from actions, not algorithms or messaging.
• Marketers, vendors, and agencies looking to impress: make it relevant, make it clear, and keep the focus on business outcomes.

This summary captures all significant insights and strategies discussed in the episode, providing a useful guide for listeners and non-listeners alike.