Discount ncaa apparel

Regardless of differences in shopping patterns, youthful consumers echo many actions of their parents and grandparents. Certainly one thing is no different: Xers respond to packaging and marketing.

Bob Luehrs, president of H.I.S./Chic, said the jeans maker has updated its packaging and advertising to attract younger, hipper customers. Besides new TV and print ads, this year's pocket flashers for juniors sizes show a model leaning against the trunk of a big car at a desert gas station.

The H.I.S. flasher has changed from a light, old-fashioned sporting look to a dark and gritty album cover style, with saturated tones and art that bleeds off the edges of the tag.

Such distinctions are vital, said Cecil Kearse, divisional vp, menswear at Kmart. "With this group, 80% of them make the purchase decision at point-of-purchase." This underlines the importance of both image advertising and in-store merchandising. Sun Apparel's X-AM jeans line is one Xerfocused product Kearse cited as making a strong impact at retail. X-AM has driven a wedge into Xers' consciousness with graphics-crazy ads and offbeat celebrity campaigns featuring Muggsy Bogues (Charlotte Hornets) and Daisy Fuentes (MTV).

Another product developed specifically for Xers is Fuji's QuickSnap camera. Bob Kuczik, vp, field sales at Fuji, said, "It's for people who are young and on the move, who in general do not own even a point-and-shoot camera." The one-time-use camera's allure lies in its indestructible/disposable quality, and with little money at risk, it can be handled casually in rugged places, criteria that resonate for Xers.

Cliff Campeau, senior vp, marketing at Venture, said loyalty is the key when marketing to Xers. "They've grown up in an era when choice is prevalent,' he said, whether the choice concerns merchandise, store format, non-store retailing or preferred media. "It's a difficult group to deliver a message to; it requires thinking outside of traditional media vehicles," he said, pointing to event sponsorship as a workable tactic.

He noted that Venture had success with a 1993 Back-to-School promotion featuring sweepstakes and personal appearances by cast members of the popular Xer TV series "Beverly Hills, 90210.".

Sports-related marketing also works with Xers. Discounters can learn from Sears' unprecedented promotion of intercollegiate men's and women's sports: the Sears Directors' Cup.

This innovation and Sears' new status as a corporate partner of the NCAA not only targets college-age consumers, but through sports competition is likely to draw in their mothers in a visceral way.

Sears has also shown a strategic flair for appealing to Hispanic customers, a larger segment among Xers than in older generations. Pop singer Cristian Castro was featured at a February free concert in Chicago sponsored by Sears. Ad materials feature the slogan "Todo para Ti" (literally, Everything for You) as the Spanish language counterpart to the "Softer Side of Sears."

By giving Xers broad choices in the merchandise they want, discounters can win early with this group, keeping an eye on long-term dividends.