The Bold Strategy Behind Coach's Modern Makeover
Welcome back to The Friday Fortune! We’ve officially kicked off Q2, which means the post-holiday haze is gone, the Q1 dashboards are getting judged, and the group chat has already started whispering about “summer Fridays.” Whether you’re plotting your next campaign or in the thick of mapping out your Q2 goals, consider this your weekly spark of marketing momentum.
Each week, we bring you insights from top CMOs, creative leaders, and the sharpest minds who make spreadsheets and brand stories equally exciting. No fluff. Just real strategy, bold ideas, and maybe one quote you’ll want to steal for your next all-hands.
Here’s what’s on deck this week:
📈 Marketer of the Week
If anyone knows how to make an iconic brand feel fresh without losing its soul, it’s Sandeep Seth. As CMO of Coach and Chief Growth Officer and President at Tapestry, he’s leading a transformation that blends cultural insight, creative bravery, and a serious dose of human empathy.
His career path defies every stereotype. Starting as a civil engineer, Sandeep pivoted into tech, then sales, and eventually landed at P&G, where he spent over two decades leading iconic brands across categories and continents. It was in those early days, cold-calling with fax machines and getting doors slammed in his face, that he learned the core skill he still relies on today: resilience…and listening.
When he joined Coach in New York, he wasn’t there to fix a broken brand. The challenge was more nuanced: Coach had broad awareness, but was struggling to stay culturally relevant, especially with younger consumers. Sandeep described the dilemma bluntly: The brand was not growing and resonating with the future generations. A lot of people would see it as ‘my mother’s brand or grandmother’s brand.’”
Instead of launching splashy campaigns right away, he dove into the lives of Coach customers. Through ethnographic research, he and his team spent hours inside people’s homes, shopping alongside them, and uncovering insights that data alone wouldn’t reveal. One emotional encounter with a customer who had carried her Coach bag for over 40 years became a turning point. That story—and many others like it—inspired the "In My Tabby" campaign, reframing the handbag as a vessel of personal history and identity.
But changing perceptions required more than storytelling. It meant evolving product design, refreshing merchandising, and choosing unexpected ambassadors—like Lil Nas X—to signal a new era. Initially, fans were puzzled by the pairing, but that dissonance was exactly the point. It challenged assumptions, reintroduced the brand in a new context, and opened the door for Gen Z.
As the industry shifted toward micro-seasonal drops, Sandeep resisted the urge to promote every SKU. Instead, he redefined Coach’s marketing mandate around emotional consistency, not just product rotation. That clarity led to the “Courage to Be Real” platform, which has now anchored five campaigns over two years—all reinforcing the same core value: self-expression.
In his new role overseeing growth at Tapestry, Sandeep is scaling the same principles across brands. It starts with a clear thesis: don’t chase growth everywhere—focus on where it matters. For Coach, that meant acquiring the next generation of customers while ensuring the brand remained aspirational. Despite early skepticism, the strategy paid off. By designing marketing and product experiences that even the skeptics loved, Coach deepened loyalty without alienating long-time fans.
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Internally, Sandeep’s leadership style mirrors his marketing philosophy. He’s more coach than commander, creating a culture where ideas flow upward and risk is encouraged. He draws inspiration from his own Gen Z children, who regularly challenge his perspectives and remind him how rapidly the world is changing. Listening, again, is the superpower.
Sandeep’s Takeaway
Sandeep reminds people that great marketing doesn’t start with a brief, it starts with empathy. “If you want to be in marketing, you have to love people,” he said. “My job is really about listening to people, understanding, and empathizing with them.”
To hear more about how Sandeep is turning legacy brands into future icons, while staying grounded in empathy, listen to the full episode of CMO Weekly.
🥠 The Cookie Jar
Crack open a handful of the week’s best marketing links—because good fortune favors the curious.
That’s a wrap for this week’s Friday fortune.
If you enjoyed the read, pass it along to your favorite marketer who could use a little extra inspo in their inbox.
Until next time, may your marketing be memorable and your cookies always be fortunate!
— The OpenFortune team