Goal is taking a recent strategy to selling its newest design partnership, shifting away from studio-shot imagery and embracing social-first advertising, Advertising and marketing Dive can completely share. The collaboration with heritage model Woolrich involves life with content material that was filmed in New York Metropolis, following type influencer Lauren Wolfe and “Daylight” singer-songwriter David Kushner as they discover totally different neighborhoods and artistic pursuits.
The idea transposes Woolrich’s deal with the outside — the model, which is almost two centuries outdated, lays declare to being “The Authentic Out of doors Clothes Firm” — to an city surroundings whereas giving Goal an opportunity to experiment extra with lifestyle-oriented visuals. “Journey Is Wherever You Are,” which launches Tuesday and runs by way of Oct. 30, will seem on broadcast TV, social, out-of-home and audio channels like Spotify, and lands as shoppers put together for the vacation purchasing rush.
Regardless of the combo of conventional and digital channels, Goal is emphasizing its social-first strategy — the bigger marketing campaign and social content material are immediately built-in, a primary for the retailer’s design collaborations — and the way Wolfe and Kushner lead the storytelling. In considered one of Kushner’s movies, as an illustration, the musician wanders right into a subway automotive that’s lined in wildlife as a David Attenborough-like narrator recounts his discovery of Woolrich x Goal buffalo test flannels.
“As social media continues to drive discovery and connection, a social-first technique permits us to fulfill folks the place they’re most engaged and retains Goal on the heart of the place [our] visitors already are,” stated Scott Swartz, vp of inventive at Goal, over e mail. “This formed our inventive course, which leaned into social-led expertise and real-world storytelling components like capturing on location in New York Metropolis and together with a mockumentary as one of many beats of the marketing campaign, to create content material that feels real and price sharing.”
Switching up technique
In pivoting from the staged studio look, Goal stated it’s making an attempt to seize on a regular basis, genuine moments that can resonate with shoppers. The model enlisted set designer Griffin Stoddard, identified for latest work with pop star Chappell Roan, in addition to hairstylist Rachel Lee, make-up artist Frankie Boyd and wardrobe stylist Natalie Scicolone on the trouble. “Journey Is Wherever You Are” was developed internally.
Woolrich x Goal extends a decades-long historical past of the retailer collaborating with high-end manufacturers to supply luxurious appears at reasonably priced value factors (mainline Woolrich parkas can value effectively over $1,000). Touchdown in most Goal shops and on-line Oct. 18, the assortment spans greater than 100 gadgets throughout males’s and ladies’s attire, dwelling items, out of doors gear and meals and beverage. Most merchandise are underneath $40 and the most affordable are priced at simply $2.
Goal is debuting its Woolrich assortment because it vies for a turnaround, with This fall a vital second for retailers — one that’s presently clouded by the uncertainty of tariffs. Woolrich is considered one of a number of team-ups the retailer is spotlighting this season because it appears to bolster visitors and cultural relevance. Earlier this month, it unveiled an intensive vary of merchandise tied to the ultimate season of “Stranger Issues,” together with a nationwide marketing campaign co-created with Netflix and that includes expertise from the streaming hit.
Goal has contended with a stretch of flagging efficiency and criticism over its course, together with backlash to adjustments to the corporate’s variety, fairness and inclusion initiatives. The latter level has been the topic of client boycotts in latest months. Goal’s comparable gross sales, an essential measure of retailer well being, fell 1.9% 12 months over 12 months in Q2, with weak point in a merchandise section reliant on discretionary spending.
With Woolrich x Goal, the retailer goals to enchantment to established followers who worth its trend-forward collaborations however new units of shoppers as effectively, in accordance with Swartz.
“This marketing campaign is deliberately designed to resonate with each returning visitors and new buyers who discover us due to this partnership,” stated Swartz. “We wished the marketing campaign to mirror the visitor insights that impressed this cross-category assortment, together with the resurgence of heritage-inspired designs, vogue’s affect on out of doors existence, and a rising curiosity in actions resembling mountaineering and birdwatching.”
