Harrods targets teens with fashion push
Luxury department store Harrods is partnering with online community Stardoll as part of its strategy to target a younger audience of fashion fans.
The department store will open a virtual store within the online community where members can buy virtual versions of the real ranges they can buy in store.
Stardoll aims to recreate the high end shopping experience of Harrods within the social network and virtual goods will be delivered to members’ avatars in Harrods branded bags.
It is the first time Stardoll has partnered with a store. It has previously partnered with fashion and beauty brands including Miss Sixty, DKNY and L’Oreal.
The social media driven campaign includes Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest activity and teens are encourage to share their wishlists with friends.
Harrods’ partnership with Stardoll kicks off on 20 October to coincide with the launch of a new in-store Junior Collections department dedicated to teen and ‘tween’ fashion brands. Brands launching teen ranges in-store include Chloe, Jean Paul Gaultier, Galliano and Versace.
The brands will also host exclusive in store events for Harrods’ young fashion fans.
The partnership is also part of Stardoll’s stated aims to extend its reach to audiences in the world of fashion and beauty.
Stardoll claims to be the world’s largest website for teen and tween girls and claimed 15 million unique users in 2011 and an annual reach of 200 million teenage girls.
Stephen Molloy, senior vice president of sales at Stardoll Media, says: “Harrods are demonstrating they are forward thinking and innovative marketers who share an in-depth understanding of young people today and how for them their online world is as important and real as the physical one. Our ongoing insights into Generation Z prove time and again that this group are early adopters with significant influence over their peer groups, and indeed represent a powerful group of consumers”.
