Missed expectations for back-to-school, kids online who many be cuter and more stylish than you, and why “Ladies First” isn’t always a compliment…
1. Missed Expectations
We took you through the back-to-school marketing standing out so far this season, which included Macy’s “Be True to Your School” Lip Dub challenge that encourages young content creators to make something viral. Though the campaign has potential, don’t miss disappointing second-quarter sales results for the retailer, despite their attempts to capture young consumers. While the numbers have so far missed expectations, there is still time to capture back-to-school dollars. The brand is confident that the Macy’s Campus Bus Tour, which will shuttle students from schools across the nation to in-store parties with DJs, exclusive discounts, and mini makeovers, will resonate with experience-driven Millennials.
2. Fast Fashion Gaining Green
Is fast fashion speeding up or slowing down? Taking a look at the Forever 21 portfolio it’s difficult to tell, they’ve launched both a high quality footwear line and an even lower-priced concept store all within the same year. While the evidence for fast fashion’s increase in speed builds, brands like Uniqlo and H&M continue to move in the opposite direction. Don’t miss H&M’s announcement as the top user of organic cotton out of the 80 brands included in the Textile Exchange’s 2013 Organic Cotton Report. As of 2013, 15.8% of their cotton comes from more sustainable sources, 10.8% of that being organic cotton, and the goal is 100% by 2020 “at the latest.” Eco-consciousness may not necessarily mean a slow down, it is an appeal to more sustainable minded consumers who typically see fast fashion as a wasteful.
3. Mini Fashion Mavens
This week’s newsfeed introduced you to Cory: a 9-year-old cookie entrepreneur and stylish CEO of Mr. Cory’s Cookies who started his baked-goods business at age 5 to raise money for his mom. Driven, altruistic, and utterly adorable, Cory represents the next generation of leaders who are already mini style icons. If Cory is your new internet crush, we don’t want you to miss these other kids of Instagram who are already “way cooler than you.” The fashions of some may be influenced by Millennial parents, but regardless these kids show that twenty-something style is trickling down to kids.
4. Brands, Meet Females
Recently, major mistakes in marketing to women have made us wonder if brands know young female consumers at all. Tracking these failed marketing efforts reveals just how heavily stereotypes continue to persist, so don’t miss another piece of advice: Don’t think “Ladies First” is a compliment. Tech startup OnePlus created a “Ladies First” selfie contest involving their logo, allowing women with the most-liked image to buy their smartphone first and get a tee shirt, but backlash prompted them to remove the contest posts. Their effort to “help [women] be more involved in tech” fell flat since it was deemed sexist and degrading, and maybe rewarding female consumers based on their selfies in not the best policy when leering male judges are involved.
5. Ice Bucket Bonanza
Yesterday’s Instant Poll Results showed widespread awareness among Millennials for the #IceBucketChallenge for ALS. What began with one man wanting to share knowledge and laughter has spread virally and even reached celebrities like Justin Timberlake, Jimmy Fallon, and Mark Zuckerberg. Amidst the hilarious group videos surfacing online is one from a six-year-old boy named Ianto whose video dedication to his mother in cancer treatment is one you don’t want to miss.
