77Kids sponsors online Jonas Brothers concert

Just got some news about an upcoming event from American Eagle's 77Kids brand:

The Jonas Brothers concert will stream one-time only, this Sunday November 16th at 3 p.m. EST at the 77Kids.com site. Afterwards two Jonas Brothers’ songs from the exclusive show will be available for extended play through November 30th.

The online experience will include all the excitement of a live concert. Fans can visit the 77kid gallery at 77kids.com to choose between fourteen “kid cool” characters that best represent their style. The 77kid character will walk the red carpet and join the crowd on concert day. Fans can also select different camera angles, including a “Nick Cam”, “Joe Cam” and “Kevin Cam”, throughout the 40-minute show and post messages on the Jonas Brothers message board.

My take
I'm nowhere close to an expert on kids' or tween brands, but this is a pretty great idea to me. The Jonas Brothers are perfect brand ambassadors with tons of cross-generational appeal and a very appropriate image for 77Kids. Streaming it on the web combines the excitement of a live performance with the convenience and accessibility of online, which is especially important for an audience like this who can't necessarily go a to a lot of concerts on their own. The icing on the cake is the ability to interact with the show, which makes the experience something that's unique to the online medium- much better than simply repurposing old media content.

Like I've said before, I'm a big fan of American Eagle (both as a consumer and a marketer). This looks to be the beginning of great things for 77Kids, and I have no reason to think they won't be just as successful with this brand as they have been with their mainline brand.

Watch the concert here

American Eagle launches 77kids

In the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via NRF Smartbrief:

The mom-friendly laundry tool goes live today at the online store targeting children ages 2 to 10 years old, and it adds a reassuring value message to the virtual showroom featuring cute kids dressed in a colorfully, stylish goulash of hoodies, skinny jeans, tanks and even a tutu.

"We want to think like a mom and see like a kid," said Chris Fiore, senior vice president for 77kids. That means making clothes that look cool, feel good on the body and can stand up to a few washings.

My take
I'm far from on expert on kids' clothing, so I can't comment on the execution of the products themselves. I can say say, though, that American Eagle's strategy for their brand architecture is brilliant: to engage the consumer young and stay with them as they get older. From 77kids to American Eagle to Martin+Osa, they've got an offering for anyone from 2 to 42.

H&M Divided & more at Ross Park

I paid a visit to the the Ross Park Mall in lovely Pittsburgh, PA over the weekend. The highlights:


H&M Divided
I've been to several H&M stores in the US and Europe, but this was the first time I'd seen H&M's Divided concept. The brand isn't new, but this was my first exposure to it. In their words:

H&M's Divided department offers fashion with a young look. It is about creative design and references from the very latest trends from street and club wear in a style that appeals to both teenagers and adults. The range consists of denim and street wear fashion for all occasions – from everyday clothes to party wear.

Basically, Divided is a much cooler extension of H&M that's more along the lines of Forever 21, with a bit of a streetwear vibe. I thought the merchandise was absolutely awesome- it wouldn't have looked out of place in a 55DSL or G-Star store, but was literally one tenth of the price. Needless to say, I hope to see more Divided stores soon, and I think this is a great brand extension for H&M, who needed a dose of cool. Without it, they risk falling prey to the Old Navy curse (you only go there to buy low-margin basics).


On American Eagle and Aerie
Speaking of American Eagle, they have a pretty great denim business on their hands. Their jeans are far and away the most commonly worn brand everywhere I've seen in Ohio and Pennsylvania, and I can only guess that this holds true for a good portion of the rest of the country.

Aerie is another success from American Eagle. In case you're unfamiliar or not in the US, Aerie is American Eagle's underwear/dormwear concept, not unlike Pink. The interesting thing I've noticed is that I know quite a few girls who would never buy clothes at American Eagle that love Aerie, which isn't true for Pink. These are 25-30 year old hipster types that you would usually see at Forever 21 or Urban Outfitters, so it's quite remarkable to see that Aerie has brought them into the fold. It would be a real coup to use their relationship with Aerie to turn them into American Eagle shoppers, but that's a whole other can of worms.

Other stuff
This is a great mall from Simon that recently added quite a few new tenants, including Tiffany, Louis Vitton, and other upscale retailers. It also boasts a first-rate American Eagle, Martin + Osa, a nice Pac Sun, and an enormous Forever 21 with an excellent men's section that kept me occupied for over an hour. Definitely check this mall out if you're in the area!