Lauren Bergman, Meaningful Content Creator and Resident Gen-Z Opinion at The Normal Brand

My name is Lauren Bergman, and I am a rising junior in WashU’s Olin Business School majoring in Marketing and Organization & Strategic Management with a minor in psychology. I work as a marketing intern for The Normal Brand, a men’s and women’s luxury casual clothing brand that sells online and in their flagship store in Ladue. They sell their clothing and hats to retailers across the US, mostly to sporting goods stores, athleisure boutiques, and upscale hotels like the Four Seasons. Recently, they collaborated with Luke Combs on a cap and donated all the proceeds to the Barstool Fund which to help small businesses stay afloat during COVID.

It’s been invaluable to work with The Normal Brand while also completing a practicum for Néstle Purina’s sustainability marketing team because I’m noticing consistent market trends between two vastly companies, especially in the interests of the Gen Z audience.

For The Normal Brand, I work with Lan, one of the founders, and Chuck, the Director of Marketing. I’ve been creating competitive landscapes and researching to find how they should best create organic and paid content on platforms like Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Snapchat. I’m also working on revamping their ambassador program, point system, and text message marketing program. 

One of my longer-term projects is ideating and creating content for The Normal Brand’s Tik Tok to help grow their followers and engagement as a means of brand awareness. Because The Normal Brand is a fast-paced startup, I’m constantly coming up with new angles to represent the family aspect of their company and keeping interactions with consumers personal. 

One of my newest ideas, “Date with Lan,” came from digging through the comment section of The Normal Brand’s content and realizing that we should capitalize on many women’s comments about being interested in one of the founders, Lan. Within the week of my pitch, we got two videos up on their profile, the second going viral, which drew lots of attention not only to Lan but also to the brand. Since the three brothers' greatest asset is being their brand, I decided to capitalize on it and bring playful humor into the mix. I’ve also been working on a segment where the boys in the office go on a quest for the best sandwhiches in St. Louis to bring in a culturally-aware, St. Louis-feel to The Normal Brand’s feed.

Since starting my internship two weeks ago, I’ve felt like I’ve genuinely been a trusted asset to the brand, constantly asking for my opinion on content, especially on the Gen- Z audience and taking my pitches seriously. It’s been a perk of the job, because I have ambitious ideas and it’s been helpful getting feedback on which are viable and which are better for future expansion.

For example, I worked on a reward system project today. I pitched a tiered system that would incentivize customers to buy more high-priced items by getting free alterations and exclusive access to events. Chuck will likely bring this to the team and incorporate it into their current system. On the other hand, I also pitched creating an app that would track customer’s points, scan gift cards, and show members how far they were from a higher status. Although Chuck resonated with the idea, he said this was a bit lofty and would be fantastic down the road once they hire a programmer. This sort of dialogue is beneficial in understanding budgetary restrictions and finding creative ways to implement visionary ideas.

I’m excited to soon be in the same time zone and physically in the office, so I can keep up the office banter and execute meaningful, strategic ideas.