Evolving from traditional print-heavy tactics to a data-driven, digital-first marketing strategy — fueling future growth and internal alignment.
“Authentic provided leadership, operational support and structure as well as a deeper look into the effectiveness of our customer engagement.”
Steve Jensen, Chief Merchandising & Marketing Officer, Theisen’s
Theisen’s At a Glance
- Company size: ~1,000 employees
- Industry: Retail / Commerce, Consumer Goods & Services
- Business model: Retail / Brick-and-Mortar
- Headquarters: Dubuque, Iowa
- Authentic Growth® Drivers:
- Sharpen Market Focus and Value Proposition
- Increase Engagement and Generate Qualified Leads
- Build a Strong Marketing Team (Right People in the Right Seats)
The Challenge
Theisen’s is a nearly 100 year old regional retail chain with a strong presence in Iowa and expanding into Wisconsin. With roots as a family-owned business, Theisen’s has grown into a company known for serving rural and suburban communities with a wide assortment of farm, home, and outdoor products.
Theisen’s was at a turning point: they were maintaining solid growth but recognizing that legacy marketing tactics, including heavy reliance on print flyers, were limiting its potential. Under new leadership, the company wanted to modernize its marketing approach, build internal alignment, and lay the foundation for future expansion. Leadership was open to transformation, but the organization needed clarity, structure, and the right talent to get there.
The Solution
Authentic partnered with Theisen’s to bring another perspective and lead a multifaceted transformation across marketing strategy, structure, and execution. Key elements included:
- Media Mix Analysis & Optimization: A data-backed evaluation of the existing media mix revealed opportunities to shift spend from expensive, low-ROI print to high-performing digital channels like connected TV, paid search, and digital display. Authentic’s CMO helped prove these shifts through in-market testing, increasing ROAS without sacrificing sales.
- Team Restructure & Talent Alignment: Redesigned the org structure, clarified roles, and led hiring for key positions to unify and strengthen internal capabilities. Also worked to make marketing agency partner changes that aligned with business growth and goals.
- Customer Persona Development: Using customer data, surveys, and roundtable insights, four detailed target personas were developed. These informed not just marketing, but assortment planning, store experience, and digital strategy.
- Brand Book & Messaging Framework: Built out from Theisen’s foundational brand pillars, the company’s voice, tone, values, and persona-based messaging were all defined in a brand book, giving creative teams actionable tools for consistent execution.
- Promotional Planning Process: Introduced Annual and Quarterly strategy meetings for alignment, bringing structure and rhythm to campaign development, SKU selection, and cross-team execution.
- New Store Playbook & Vendor Program: Developed a replicable new store launch strategy and created a vendor co-op program that generated 20% incremental YoY investment.
The Results
With Authentic’s guidance, Theisen’s achieved measurable improvements across marketing performance, internal alignment, and vendor engagement:
- Increased KPIs across digital channels through media mix optimization. Testing showed that reallocating budget from direct mail to channels like paid search, retargeting, and connected TV delivered stronger return on ad spend, especially in mid- and large-format stores.
- Reduced direct mail by 40% in test markets with no negative impact on sales or transactions.
- Grew vendor co-op investment by 20% YoY, thanks to the introduction of tiered marketing packages and structured annual strategy meetings with 20+ vendors.
- Streamlined promotional planning and campaign execution through the development of an annual calendar and quarterly cadence — reducing execution friction and improving merchandising collaboration.
- Accelerated persona-based messaging and creative production through a new brand book and plug-and-play messaging tied directly to Theisen’s ideal customer segments.
- Enabled new store growth and market entry via a replicable launch playbook that has already supported store relocations and new openings in Iowa and Wisconsin.
