Around the Net

Retailers Picking Up YouTube 'Haul' Videos For Fall Campaigns

Bruce Horovitz takes a look at retailers who are adapting the homegrown "look-what-I-got-at-the-store" fashion videos produced by teens as part of their back-to-school marketing quiver. Known as "hauls," the show-and-tell snippets not only influence teens but also mothers of teens, according to trends guru Maxine Lauer.

J.C. Penney will announce plans today to turn a handful of videos into a core component of its marketing at jcp.com/teen, Horowitz reports, joining teen-oriented retailers such as Forever 21 and American Eagle in exploring the venue.

"It's the buzz-worthy story of 2010," says Mandi Mankvitz, social-media director at consultancy Sphere Trending. But some retailers are compensating "haulers" with gift cards or travel expenses, leading Mankvitz to predict, "eventually, this will become just as mistrustful as traditional advertising."

advertisement

advertisement

Read the whole story at USA Today »

1 comment about "Retailers Picking Up YouTube 'Haul' Videos For Fall Campaigns".
Check to receive email when comments are posted.
  1. Bob Egner from EPiServer, July 26, 2010 at 1:38 p.m.

    My first reaction to this technique was skeptical. Many of the social consultants we work with promote “honesty” in user generated content out of fear that community members will abandon sites with contrived or unauthentic content. However, an informal poll (my daughter and her friends) told a different story – they were attentive through the videos and not turned off by the paid shopping spree, rather wanted to find out how they could be invited on such a trip.

    The disclaimer in each video reinforced the “honesty” aspect while providing an additional engagement point. EPiServer customers who build branded communities are reporting similar results, that experimentation is needed to find out what drives engagement for their communities.

Next story loading loading..