Claire’s has found a great way to connect with their target demographic – teens. The company recently realized a decline in sales in this demographic, and realized that they needed a new approach.
Welcome to YouTube! Not only did they realize that this demographic spends a lot of time on the site, but they’ve gone a step further and connected with popular “YouTubers” or “vloggers” – these are internet sensations that have a massive teen following.
According to a recent article, Claire’s has partnered with AwesomenessTV as well as some internet celebrities to promote their brand. Below is an example of TheVamps, a popular group with 1.1 million followers, who did a book signing at a Chicago area Claire’s store:
To take it a step further, anyone visiting the Clarie’s YouTube page will see the “featured” channels, which feature accounts that are popular and fall in line with the demographic, further increasing their “cool” status.
As a parent of a daughter in this age group, I can attest to the popularity of these groups. She is quite obsessed with a group of young men and women whose main career seems to be posting videos, writing books, and other seemingly simple activities. Some are most known for playing Minecraft, a popular game among this demographic, and videotaping themselves playing along with running commentary. To me, this seems like a silly thing, but among this demographic, it’s gold. As I learned more from my daughter, I realized the reach of these individuals, and Clarie’s (and other companies), have been smart to partner with them. With the sheer number of subscribers and devoted ones at that, this is by far the best means to reach the masses in this demographic while instilling the “cool” factor into the brand.
There is another one I’ve gotten wind of, mainly through my own teen demographic experience:
Pizza Hut has partnered with CaptainSparklez, a popular vlogger with 8.6 million subscribers. Fans can purchase a “CaptainSparklez” Pizza as part of a promotion.
Vloggers are akin to the “Mommy Bloggers” back in the day – their influence is wide and powerful. What may seem silly to us adults is some serious business to this demographic, and marketers should pay attention. Claire’s made a smart move here; it’s a good marketing move, and one that others should take note of.
