Are You a Pinner, or a Doer?

    
        A perfect example of cross-promotional marketing; Michael’s Craft Stores are taking advantage of the pinning craze, and have teamed up with Pinterest.com to encourage customers to “not just pin it, but make it your own.”  The store has set aside prime floor space along the main aisles for the Pinterest displays, where the customer can pick up all supplies needed for featured DIY’s.  The customer is then encouraged to log onto Pinterest.com/MichealsStores to get the tutorial for completing the project. 

     For those not familiar with Pinterest.com, it is online tool for collecting and organizing images, crafts, recipes, etc. (think online inspiration boards).  The service is free, but does require creating an account.  As of July 2013, Pinterest has 70 million users with 80% of these are women.  The typical Michael's customers are also women and both businesses are built around the creative and craft industries, so it would seem it was only a matter of time before these two teamed up.

Hurley and Apple

   
    Apple has teamed up with Hurley to offer exclusive backpacks on their online store for Back to School.  Several ads throughout the website direct the shopper to seven exclusive colorways.  With back to school, a new operating system and Macbook Pro launching, and talks of a new IPhone the site is no doubt experiencing higher traffic.  The ad shown below has perfect placement on the home page to capture the customer's attention.

The Importance of Social Media

 

     The social media presence is not going away, and now days people are spending more time connected online than ever.  Increasingly our retailers and competitors are making an online presence, and are reaching consumers locally and globally in the millions daily.
    Here are some of the facts for 2012:
(Facebook)

• Monthly active users now total nearly 850 million, and 23% of Facebook's users check their account 5 or more times daily.
• More than 1 million websites have integrated with Facebook in various ways.
• 80% of social media users prefer to connect with brands through Facebook. 

(Instagram)

• There are 8500 likes and 1000 comments by Instagram users every second.
• As of May 2013, Instagram hit 100 million active monthly users.
• More than 40 million photos are uploaded to Instagram daily.
• 40% of brands have adopted Instagram for marketing, and of the top brands, 20% surveyed had 10,000 or more followers.

(Pinterest)

• American users of Pinterest spend an average of 1 hour and 17 minutes on the site. 
• Pinterest referrals spend 70% more money than visitors referred from non-social channels.
• 69% of online consumers who visit Pinterest have found an item they've bought or wanted to buy, compared with 40% of Facebook users.
• 25 % of Fortune Global 100 companies have Pinterest accounts.

     More specifically, many of our retailers are using Instagram as an avenue to promote their own business, and at the same time, are defining what brands are cool to their local consumers with their posts.  Accounts like Jack's Surfboards, Spyder, Val Surf, HSS, and Surfside (among numerous more) upload information daily such as sale specials they are running, new product that has arrived, or any other events they may be hosting.  Just among the accounts listed above nearly 14,000 followers are reached, and that's just a handful of retailers in Southern California.  As a brand looking to broaden our reach, diversify our consumer base, and appeal to the trend-setting youth, we need to continually grow and evolve our social media presence, be conscious of how our retailers are promoting our brands through their channels and what is in demand with our followers/consumers.

(All Social Media Data, The Huffington Post. Image Screen Grabs, Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram.)

New to the Macy's Junior's Floor

     This Spring Macy's launched 3 new collaboration lines to liven up their junior's department.  The Teen Vogue Collection is a line featuring "trend-forward silhouettes," and bold colors and prints designed by the editors of the magazine.  The assortment of 15 pieces will be updated monthly, and the price points are high-schooler wallet friendly, ranging from $20-$60.

Source: FIDM Blog

     The Marilyn Collection is inspired by the 50's Hollywood bombshell icon Marilyn Monroe.  The line features retro-inspired silhouettes, flirty dresses, and prints that include classic polka dots and gingham.  The new line "reinvents Marilyn's flirty style with a modern twist."  Visuals in the department feature large portraits of the iconic actress with a look-a-like model wearing pieces from the line.

Courtesy of Macy's

Courtesy of Macy's

     Ked's has partnered with Macy's private label American Rag, and pop/country superstar Taylor Swift to create a limited edition clothing line exclusively available through Macy's.  Much like the Marilyn and Teen Vogue line the Ked's line will offer trend forward styles at an affordable price point.  In past years Ked's has collaborated with American Rag to create exclusive footwear styles, which proved to be a success and ushered in an expansion into sportswear.

Image from FabSugar

     All three brands launched across the country at 150 stores, and are grabbing spotlight locations within the junior's department on aisles and entryways.  These brand launches are part of a bigger plan for Macy's to re-capture the Millennial customer.  As of Fall of 2012 through the end of 2013 Macy's hopes to add a total of 13 new brands.  (Read more on the initiative here).

Stacy Paige Piper (Takats)