Today's Little Consumers are Tomorrow's Loyal Customers

I have been following the kids’ market more closely recently.  In previous posts (Monkey Sees, Monkey Does), I talked about how this market can become the next niche for brand expansion and how, from a marketing and brand strategy perspective, it is not about just shrinking the current products offered to the adult segment, but to truly capture the brand DNA and make it fun, functional and appealing for both: kids and parent (Pitti Bimbo SS 2014).
Checking some of the pictures from some well-known brands currently tackling this segment I found some examples of what I meant in my previous postings.

Dolce & Gabbana, the brand that debuted in Milan back in 1985 for women’s wear, decided to expand their business including kids ‘wear in 2001.  It seems that the brand has gained a lot of experience on how to play in the kid’s market arena as it shows in their current collection for SS2015: a great example of truthful brand DNA with a great appealing for kids and parents.
The genius kid’s collection features richly ornamented prints in bold colors, making it cohesive with the adult collection, therefore the silhouettes are fun and playful to allure kid’s mind.

Others brands that I found very strong understanding their brand presence and how to translate it into the kid’s market are: Roberto Cavalli still using its animal print staple but adapting it on girly silhouettes and daring boy’s outfits.

And Missoni using the geo knits and bright color palettes on easy, comfortable and totally fun silhouettes.

I believe good design comes from good brand strategy.  Understanding your brand will definitely be the key to open doors to new market segments and the mentioned ones are just a few of well positioned brands understanding the concept.  Creating brand equity not only to gain a bigger piece of the pie now, but thinking of the future… remember all these little ones will in a decade or two, be part of the workforce and if your brand can capture their hearts today  and keep them excited throughout the seasons,  they will be part of your loyal customers tomorrow.  

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Roger ARTiga