{"id":13098,"date":"2024-08-07T17:04:39","date_gmt":"2024-08-07T17:04:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dmsretail.com\/RetailNews\/how-carters-is-pitching-kids-clothes-to-new-gen-z-parents\/"},"modified":"2024-08-07T17:04:39","modified_gmt":"2024-08-07T17:04:39","slug":"how-carters-is-pitching-kids-clothes-to-new-gen-z-parents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dmsretail.com\/RetailNews\/how-carters-is-pitching-kids-clothes-to-new-gen-z-parents\/","title":{"rendered":"How Carter\u2019s is pitching kids\u2019 clothes to new Gen Z parents"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <p><a href=\"https:\/\/dmsretail.com\/online-workshops-list\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-496\" src=\"https:\/\/dmsretail.com\/RetailNews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/RETAIL-ONLINE-TRAINING-728-X-90.png\" alt=\"Retail Online Training\" width=\"729\" height=\"91\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dmsretail.com\/RetailNews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/RETAIL-ONLINE-TRAINING-728-X-90.png 729w, https:\/\/dmsretail.com\/RetailNews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/RETAIL-ONLINE-TRAINING-728-X-90-300x37.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 729px) 100vw, 729px\" \/><\/a><\/p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"text-to-speech\">\n    <button class=\"text-to-speech__button button\"><br \/>\n            <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"text-to-speech__button__icon\" src=\"https:\/\/www.retaildive.com\/static\/images\/audio_icon.svg?482016190122\" alt=\"\"\/><br \/>\n            Listen to the article<br \/>\n            <span class=\"text-to-speech__button__audio-length\">7 min<\/span><br \/>\n    <\/button><\/p>\n<div class=\"text-to-speech__controls\">\n        <audio controls=\"\" class=\"js-text-to-speech\" preload=\"none\"><source src=\"http:\/\/res.cloudinary.com\/dmgi9movl\/video\/upload\/q_1\/v1722870567\/news\/text_to_speech\/carters-gen-z-parents-back-to-school-ad-campaign_cy8wlj.wav\" type=\"audio\/mp3\"><\/source><\/audio><\/p>\n<div class=\"text-to-speech__controls__text\">\n            This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback.\n        <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>As parents and their children prepare for the back-to-school season, Carter\u2019s is launching a campaign with creative focused on the youngest kids that it outfits. \u201cMore Than Just Cute,\u201d\u00a0the first work from the apparel brand\u2019s partnership with agency Mischief, looks beyond \u201ccute\u201d\u00a0to spotlight the fits and functions preferred by young parents in the millennial and Gen Z age range (the oldest members of the latter cohort are in their late 20s, after all).<\/p>\n<p>A 30-second hero spot, \u201cAll I Am,\u201d\u00a0includes voiceover stating that cute is \u201ctoo superficial\u201d\u00a0to describe an infant. The narrator goes on to dryly list \u201caccomplishments\u201d\u00a0like crawling in the mud and playing with apple sauce.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDon\u2019t settle for just cute,\u201d\u00a0the narrator adds.\u00a0\u201cYou\u2019re more than that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"More than just cute.\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/3PhX0-OUlks?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll I Am\u201d\u00a0and a handful of 6-second videos that key in on specific kid actions \u2014 like pushing a glass of red wine onto the carpet \u2014 are running across broadcast and social platforms, including Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube. For 160-year-old Carter\u2019s, which bills itself as the largest North American baby and children\u2019s apparel company,\u00a0the campaign that debuted Thursday represents an attempt to reach a new generation of parents.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow do we create this campaign that really redefines us as a brand, that leans on all the things that we\u2019re known for \u2014 our durability, our quality, our comfort \u2014 and showcases the product and a brand through a new lens, but still leans into the history of the company?\u201d\u00a0Chief Marketing Officer Jeff Jenkins said of the needs of the campaign.<\/p>\n<p>Jenkins spoke with sister publication Marketing Dive about \u201cMore Than Just Cute,\u201d key insights about Gen Z consumers, how Carter\u2019s approaches loyalty and more.<\/p>\n<div class=\"editor-note\">\n<p><em>Editor\u2019s note: The following interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h4>MARKETING DIVE: What drove the creation of the \u201cMore Than Just Cute\u201d\u00a0campaign?<\/h4>\n<p><strong>JEFF JENKINS:<\/strong> It really started with data and insights about how the consumer is changing, what those expectations are and then finding a partner that was right for us as we shifted directions. Mischief came on board and I think the challenge that we gave them was:\u00a0The consumer is changing \u2014 more Gen Z is becoming parents and they have a different expectation of a brand \u2014 and the baby clothes category is changing.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Kids clothes used to be all about being cute. Now it\u2019s about being stylish and \u201cmini mes\u201d\u00a0and [representing] yourself on social media as a parent. The challenge that we threw to Mischief was, we want to make sure that we\u2019re pushing the envelope forward in our category, that we\u2019re not thinking about how the category behaves, but how the consumer behaves.\u00a0We want to make sure that we push the brand in places that are uncomfortable, but not unnatural. Gen Z and millennials, we scroll all day, and so a traditional ad gets scrolled right by \u2014 how do we create thumb-stopping content in that context?\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>A generational shift has gone from \u201ccute\u201d\u00a0to \u201cstyle,\u201d\u00a0and we\u2019re more than [cute], we\u2019re a brand there for every moment, not just the what I would call the Olan Mills or Lifetouch Photography moments of the \u201880s and \u201890s. We\u2019re the brand that understands that for every post you do on Instagram, there are 99 outtakes on your phone that didn\u2019t make it.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>I think everyone saw little bits of themselves [in the campaign]. This is how consumers talk and behave, and it just resonated with every single insight that we handed over.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=\/mRtBpuTrflM\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=\/mRtBpuTrflM<\/a><\/p>\n<h4>\u201cUncomfortable but not unnatural\u201d\u00a0makes me think of the campaign\u2019s 6-second spot that shows a kid riding a bike right into a basketball post, and the voiceover about \u201cdurable fabrics [being] the only thing standing between kids\u2019\u00a0butts and the world\u2019s foot.\u201d\u00a0What was your approach on presenting familiar moments like that?<\/h4>\n<p>We\u2019ve all taken those videos, which as soon as you realize the kid is okay, then it becomes funny. That\u2019s the type of content you\u2019re seeing on TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. So much media has shifted to the creator space. It\u2019s not the polished work of an ad agency.<\/p>\n<p>Mischief has done a brilliant job of blending this traditional advertising model with this creator content-type of model, and then we pull it through into creator content that is being created on behalf of the brand, as well as all of our store experiences and billboards.<\/p>\n<p>What are all those things that the next generation, whether it\u2019s Gen Z, Gen Alpha or millennials,\u00a0grew up with that is now informing their parenthood choices?<\/p>\n<h4>Speaking of short-form video, how did you approach the channel mix on this campaign?<\/h4>\n<p>We have a great partner in Assembly as our media agency. We were already heavily [invested] in a lot of the platforms that are part of the campaign, but how do we go deeper? How do we build out creator content that supports this in a new media economy? How do we be part of these huge communities, whether you think about it as \u201cMomTok\u201d\u00a0or \u201cParentingTok?\u201d\u00a0That\u2019s where consumers are getting their information around brands, tips and tricks and hacks of surviving parenthood, so we need to be there and be part of that.\u00a0<\/p>\n<section class=\"storylines-carousel-wrapper hide-small show-large\" id=\"desktop-carousel\"\/>\n<p>There\u2019s still a place, though, in the media mix for these traditional channels. This has a huge billboard, out-of-home component to it. We\u2019ve seen Gen Z and millennials to some degree have really gone back to the malls post-pandemic. Seventy percent of our sales go through stores, so what\u2019s the experience when it comes to life in malls, where consumers are really shopping, particularly in our category where you touch and feel baby clothes when you\u2019re a first-time parent?\u00a0<\/p>\n<h4>Carter\u2019s revamped its loyalty program this year. How does that feed into the brand\u2019s marketing?<\/h4>\n<p>It all ties together. Particularly in our category, we\u2019re really lucky that if you buy a three-month-old bodysuit that has fire trucks on it, I can guarantee you\u2019re probably going to be buying a six-month one in three months. We can get to this personalization journey in ways that others can\u2019t. At Best Buy, you may buy a record player one month and a washing machine three years from now. We know this cadence.<\/p>\n<p>Almost 90% of our sales go through our loyalty program. Compared to some of the industry averages from the key loyalty players in the space, like Starbucks, we\u2019re at the top of the game, which gives us great insight to consumer behaviors and what they want.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><p><a href=\"https:\/\/dmsretail.com\/online-workshops-list\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-496\" src=\"https:\/\/dmsretail.com\/RetailNews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/RETAIL-ONLINE-TRAINING-728-X-90.png\" alt=\"Retail Online Training\" width=\"729\" height=\"91\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dmsretail.com\/RetailNews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/RETAIL-ONLINE-TRAINING-728-X-90.png 729w, https:\/\/dmsretail.com\/RetailNews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/RETAIL-ONLINE-TRAINING-728-X-90-300x37.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 729px) 100vw, 729px\" \/><\/a><\/p><br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Listen to the article 7 min This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. As parents and their children prepare for [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13099,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13098","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dmsretail.com\/RetailNews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13098","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dmsretail.com\/RetailNews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dmsretail.com\/RetailNews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dmsretail.com\/RetailNews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dmsretail.com\/RetailNews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13098"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dmsretail.com\/RetailNews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13098\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dmsretail.com\/RetailNews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13099"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dmsretail.com\/RetailNews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13098"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dmsretail.com\/RetailNews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13098"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dmsretail.com\/RetailNews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13098"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}