The Data-Backed Strategy Behind Michaels' Rebrand

A sit down with Michales Chief Marketing Officer, Mandy Rassi

Author

Carlo Palomino
April 25, 2025

Welcome back to The Friday Fortune! Welcome back to The Friday Fortune—the only newsletter that understands your calendar says April, your brain says February, and your team’s arguing whether Cinco de Mayo counts as a Q2 activation or a tequila-fueled cry for help. Wherever you are in the marketing cycle, take this as your moment to reset, refocus, and sneak in a little inspiration while pretending to update that deck.

Each week, we bring you fresh insights from top CMOs, brilliant brand builders, and daring strategists who are shaping the future. Often with a healthy mix of instinct, data, and just a little chaos. And yes, we keep it fun, because humor pairs well with results.

Here’s what’s on deck this week:

  • A deep dive with Mandy Rassi, Chief Marketing Officer at Michaels

  • NFL x Adobe collab

  • How OpenFortune helped the Sacramento Kings create a winning Lunar New Year moment

📈 Marketer of the Week

If there’s anyone who’s proof that a psychology degree and zero business classes can still lead you to the C-suite, it’s Mandy Rassi, Chief Marketing Officer at Michaels.

With a background in human behavior and a love for creative problem-solving, Mandy built her career through reinvention, resilience, and smart, scrappy marketing.

After a 14-year run at Procter & Gamble where she helped transform Old Spice from a legacy aftershave into a pop culture icon, Mandy made a leap into data and analytics at 8451°, a subsidiary of Kroger. It was a major pivot, but one that let her apply instinct and insight to a new kind of challenge. She quickly discovered that behavioral science and brand strategy could work hand-in-hand with predictive modeling to decode the “why” behind consumer trends.

That drive to connect dots eventually landed her at the helm of brand marketing at Kroger, where she led a full-scale repositioning effort. The result? Fresh for Everyone, a campaign that redefined how the grocery giant showed up for its customers. Rather than pitching everything to everyone, Mandy’s team zeroed in on fresh food as the brand’s emotional core, backed by data, driven by design. What made it stick wasn’t just the catchy campaign, it was Mandy’s ability to connect marketing to data and to the store teams themselves. 

That same appetite for transformation brought her to Michaels. Backed by private equity and celebrating its 50th year, the beloved arts and crafts chain was ready to evolve, and Mandy was ready to lead the charge. Her first move? Redefine what business they were in. Today’s creatives don’t always describe themselves as “arts and crafts” people. They're makers, painters, decorators, and designers. Mandy helped shift the focus from category to community, expanding the brand’s relevance without losing its roots.

Under her leadership, Michaels relaunched its website, rolled out self-checkout in hundreds of stores, and brought a fresh energy to in-store experiences with weekly events for families and classroom-style sessions for more advanced creators. The loyalty program was reimagined with a simple, tiered structure: 3%, 6%, or 9% back, with personalized experiences layered in. This reflects a belief that great marketing isn’t just about rewards, but about recognition.

And yes, brick-and-mortar is still a big part of the plan. Mandy knows the in-store experience is central to what makes Michaels beloved. “Most people will say Michaels is their happy place. It’s a creative space so people like to go see the different yarns. They want to touch it and see what the texture is,” she explained. With smaller-format stores opening in new markets and a growing e-commerce presence, her team is building a true omnichannel ecosystem, one that delivers inspiration wherever customers are in their creative journey.

Mandy’s Takeaway

Learn everything you can. Lean into your strengths, and don’t wait to be perfect before taking the leap. “Go for it a bit before you’re ready,” she said. “There’s a lot of data to support the impostor syndrome thing with women. We tend to be like, ‘there are 10 qualifications for this job I need to have all 10 plus a few. When realistically, you probably have amazing strengths and maybe 5 of those.” 

To hear more about how Mandy is reimagining Michaels, and why she believes bold moves belong in every marketer’s playbook, listen to the full episode of CMO Weekly.

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