Zales is Feeling Better. Sick

The iconic jewelry chain posted a November-December same store sales increase of8.5 percent, more than its share of the industry's overall 7.5 percent uptick. It has also seen its anemic stock price rise by double digits.

That's good to see, not only because of Zales' rich heritage, but because of all the hard work the company undertook to get there-struggling to get its financial house in order, renewing its focus on "back-to-basics" merchandising, stepping up its training efforts, and increasing its commitment to advertising. Speaking of which, CEO Theo Killion was initially taken aback by a Twitter comment referring to Zales' new ads as "sick". He felt bad until his son explained to him that the comment was high praise.

Indeed, the advertising was well done, in stark contrast to the dreadful commercials Signet Jewelers makes us suffer through year after year for its Jared and Kay brands. That alone might have given Zales the added kick it needed to have a happy holiday season (and beat Signet's growth numbers).

Zales is yet another example of how stalled growth happens to even the best of brands, and that it's usually not a function of just one thing. The company lost its focus, lost its nerve, lost any pretense of consistency, and lost continuity in the executive suite. It's not out of the woods yet, but things are looking up. Here's hoping nothing but its advertising stays sick.

Steve McKee is president of McKee Wallwork Cleveland and author of When Growth Stalls: How It Happens, Why You're Stuck, and What to Do About It . Find him on Twitter and LinkedIn.