Back
in 1972, Garanimals clothing was launched based on the idea that there is a
connection between the clothes kids wear and how they feel about
themselves. Their mix and match
separates empowered kids to indulge in their "I do" instincts. Even Dr. Joyce Brothers approved.
Fast
forward to 2016. Now that their initial
users are parents themselves Garanimals thinks this is a good time for a
relaunch. The clothes are being sold at
Walmart, with the tagline: "Big on cute.
Small on price."
Here's
one of the commercials...
They
will be running on multiple generation programming which appeals to value-conscious
Walmart shoppers - such as How I Met Your
Mother and The Family Guy. The spots will also air in Spanish
telenovelas. (Faw, 2016)
So
what do you think? Is nostalgia a good
strategy? Why? Will it work for Garanimals?
Faw,
L. (2016, October 5) Garanimals: You
Wore Them Once, Now IT's Your Kids' Turn.
mediapost.com. Retrieved October 6, 2016, from
7 comments:
I think it has been proven that Nostalgia is a great marketing strategy because it brings up emotions and I think that especially for parents it brings back a carefree time of their life and for the children it shows them that at one time or another their parent might have been cool people and not just task masters.
I think the Garaniimals may be popular among a certain demographic. I think they were a success in the past and I think parents who wore them might think it would be fun to buy them for their children
I definitely think that using nostalgia as a strategy could work. It's hard enough to draw emotion from a potential customer, so having a sure way to connect is a definite plus.
Parents live for teaching their children and sharing the things they love with them-- and the fact that Garanimals recognized that their first customer base are now parents themselves puts them at a great advantage. However, with that ad and the tagline, I don't see how the theme of it plays on nostalgia. I only see that the ad placements would definitely hit the right audience. I think a more nostalgic tagline and video would have been a better way to go.
Generation Y is obsessed with nostalgia, which is why Hollywood is concussive with reboots and re-makes of older films because this generation is in love with their childhood's and things from that period in their lives. This can work for Wal-mart in the terms of the tagline and the opportunity for parents to buy clothes for their younger kid (who run through clothes fairly regularly) at a price that makes it affordable to go through different types of outfits and cultivate a product base in low-to-mid income families.
I think if they were in a bigger variety of retailers that would reach more metropolitan areas for Generation Y parents who may not have a Wal-Mart in the area.
It could work very well.
I think nostalgia is always a good strategy because there’s always space for this kind of trend. The similar example is the “retro” style always prevailing in fashion industry.
A pivotal point for this strategy to work is ensuring the well-established reputation the brand earns from older generations. Clearly, Garanimals spreads out its markets towards Gen Xers and Millennials’s kids based on its earned reputation, well-established emotional connection, and brand story. Not only does it reduce the cost of targeting new market, but it also increases the rate of success in the business. Plus, there might be a better strategy if the brand combines the essentials of nostalgia and modernness. A flow of consistency and connection builds up better brand experience.
It is an interesting strategy to use nostalgia as a selling tool. I think the success of the add depends on the parents individual memories with Garanimals, I mean if the parents had great memories wearing Garanimals as kids then they would likely buy the brand for their kids however if parents for some reason don’t have great memories wearing Garanimals they wouldn’t buy it for their kids.
Looking at the brand and their price target I`m not convinced that this is a brand parents would have made great memories with or this would be the brand they want for their child . I`m skeptical because if I think of my childhood and clothes I was wearing I would definitely want to give more to my children then what I had.
Adam N .
First of all, I really loved this commercial, as it’s smart and so relatable. I remember how my little sister was saying out of nowhere that all her shoes “are hurting her feet” so she needs a new pair. (What a little princess, I must say!). Considering that the Garanimals clothing is not only looking fun and refers to the nostalgic feelings, but also cheap, I believe that there is an opportunity for being successful. As we previously concluded during the class, Millennials are very concerned about the cost of a product so perhaps this affordable fashion line for children serves their need for good looking and cheap clothing.
When it comes to re-launching the product, nostalgia is always a good idea. Think about the success of Polaroid and their instant cameras. Back in the 1990s, Polaroid was so on trend that many families had this quick and easy to use camera in their possession to document family events and other important moments. In my experience, the Polaroid technology hasn’t been improved much from the 90s (instant cameras are still making your eyes look red) while almost every device those days allows taking free digital photos. However, the sales of instant cameras like Instax are booming. According to The Wall Street Journal, in 2015 Fujifilm sold “5 million of its Instax cameras…a 30% increase over 2014” (Stern). In my opinion, one of the main reasons why the re-launch of this product was successful is because it referred to people’s nostalgic feelings about the 1990s. Their youth and all of the fun events that people went through while carrying a heavy Polaroid camera on them.
Works Cited
Stern, Joanna. "Smile! The Polaroid-Style Instant Camera Is Back." The Wall Street Journal. N.p., 12 May 2016. Web. 12 Oct. 2016. .
I think the idea is valid. I very much agree with the idea that if you can make an emotional connection to the audience it will prove to be effective. Nostalgia can be a very powerful tool in marketing. However, I would have wanted to see the actual product (clothing) in the advertisement. The video is cute, but does very little in terms of selling the product. I feel that it is effective to have a little story, but you cannot forget to show what you are selling! Although the video is i'm sure relatable to many, i feel it could have been executed in a better way.
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