Claire's is going full hands-on this summer, betting that a generation raised on screens is hungry for something they can actually touch, smell and squish. The mall
staple's new campaign, “A Girl SMR at Claire's," builds a sensory-first in-store experience around Gen Alpha's obsession with ASMR, tactile
play and collectibles — from squishy-hunting to slime to the viral fidget toy NeeDoh.
At the center of the rollout is the Summer Sensory Shop, a curated
lineup of collectibles designed to engage all five senses. But the detail that stops you: In select stores, kids can step up to an ASMR recording station and make their own content — lowering
the barrier to participate in trends they've been watching online and turning a mall visit into a creative act.
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The activations launch in early May in
Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and South Florida.
The timing reflects what Claire's is seeing in its own business. "Since late last year, Claire's has seen a
significant rise in trends centered around sensory play, from the 'squishy hunting' phenomenon to ASMR videos and the viral growth of NeeDohs, slime and other fidget-based content across platforms
like TikTok," a spokesperson tells Retail Insider via email. Gen Alpha — kids born between 2010 and 2024 — is "increasingly drawn to tactile, sensory experiences as a form of
expression and escape." The brand tracks these signals through informal focus groups with the generation itself.
"Gen Alpha is rewriting the rules of modern
girlhood, and Claire's is evolving with them," says Michelle Goad, Claire's chief brand officer, in the campaign announcement. "This new era is about creating a world where girls can explore, express,
and experience joy through every sense."
The campaign is also Claire's first major move since its post-bankruptcy reinvention. The retailer filed for Chapter
11 last August; Ames Watson, a privately held investment firm, acquired the North American business for $140 million in September. Ames Watson — which previously revived Lids into a
billion-dollar business — has framed its approach as building "a smaller but stronger footprint." As Lawrence Berger, the firm's co-founder, put it at the time of acquisition: "The goal is to
make every Claire's visit meaningful by creating experiences that cannot be replicated online and keeping the mall a destination for discovery and connection." Claire's now operates about 900 stores
selling jewelry, accessories and toys across the U.S. and Canada.
To reach kids where they already are, the campaign leans on social media for real-time
alerts on product drops and restocks, creator partnerships, and emerging platforms, including Coverstar, a youth-focused app built around safety and participation. Claire's is also expanding its
YouTube presence as a launchpad for new products and will host a co-branded pop-up at VidCon in June.