• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, April 25, 2024

Lulus, the online fashion brand, knows who its friends are and thinks its shoppers know, too. With a new campaign called “Friends For Life,” the company hopes to use its first out-of-home push to turn around a steep decline in sales. The effort, created entirely in-house, also includes plenty of social media, influencer activations, and experiential marketing, and follows a group of women through a pivotal year in their lives. Patrick Buchanan, Lulus senior vice president of brand marketing, tells Marketing Daily more about the effort.

Marketing Daily: Tell us what inspired this campaign.

Patrick Buchanan: I came to Lulu about six months ago from Good American, the denim brand that represents size diversity, and I’ve got a lot of experience with brand storytelling. Lulus is 30 years old and started as a small vintage boutique in Chico, up in Northern California. We reach millions of customers worldwide, but our mission has always been that curated experience. We still like to consider ourselves your favorite little boutique. We want to make women feel beautiful and celebrated for their life's occasions, like their friends do. Friends are there for us in all our big and small moments -- sometimes even more so than family.

Marketing Daily: Does the campaign follow this one group?

Buchanan: Yes, similar to “Sex in the City.” They go through some ups and downs, going through all their life's moments. They’re getting married, moving to a new city, and taking on new jobs. They are a solid support system with a lot of love.

Marketing Daily: Who is your core customer?

Buchanan: We like to describe our girl as someone with a sparkle in her eye. She loves to be seen. She has a busy calendar, with weddings, birthday parties and celebrations. Our girl can be a little flirty sometimes, and sexy. But she is always pulled together.

Marketing Daily: Why do you call her a girl? Are you aiming for teens?

Buchanan: No. We’re targeting millennial women.

Marketing Daily: Do millennial women like to think of themselves as girls?

Buchanan: She is a woman, I guess I should say. And that’s a very crowded marketplace. We want to find new and exciting ways to tell the brand story and engage new customers. Last year, we opened a flagship in Los Angeles, on Melrose. It’s been a great way to learn about customers and see what they respond to. This year, we opened our bridal boutique. On Valentine's Day, we gave away 100 free wedding dresses and had lines around the block.

Marketing Daily: What are the outdoor ads like?

Buchanan: They’ll be hard to miss. We're taking over one of the big buildings on Sunset, for example. And it’s all part of this 360 approach. The campaign starts this week and will run through the summer. And we’ll make a big deal about it on June 8, which is National Best Friends Day.

Marketing Daily: Using out-of-home is a first for Lulus. What do you hope to accomplish?

Buchanan: A big part of the campaign is finding new ways to connect, so this is our first around cities. Whether you're in Chicago, Nashville or Los Angeles, you'll be able to spot our billboards and our wild postings.

In bringing the brand from the URL to IRL, we're looking to evolve our tactics. We’ve always done a lot of digital advertising, and it's becoming harder to reach that customer online. We’ll do digital ads with partnerships on various platforms, including Meta, and fun Snapchat filters. We’re also working with influencers.

Marketing Daily: What do influencers add?

Buchanan: Our customers want us to include them in the clothes. Influencers aren’t just to build awareness and get the brand’s name out there. We also see influencers as a great way to provide another look at how women from all different backgrounds, shapes, and sizes can wear our clothes.

Marketing Daily: How do the events fit in?

Buchanan: It’s a chance to get offline and give her a new way to see our clothes. We are starting with a “Besties that Brunch” experience in Nashville. We’ll also do it in New York, in the Meatpacking District and Williamsburg, then West Hollywood.

Marketing Daily: I know falling sales are a problem, down 19% to $355.2 million in the most recent quarter. What metrics are you watching beyond conversion?

Buchanan: Brand sentiment. We want to drive engagement in every channel, whether it's TikTok, Instagram or Pinterest. We’re always looking to increase overall awareness.