majoring in the classics

Fashion’s foe has always been fickle consumers. Just when an apparel brand has pinpointed the latest craze, chic shoppers move on. After two years of attempting to mesh trendy fashion with tradition (think funky beading on jeans), many manufacturers are going back to basics to reach multiple generations.

In the process, apparel marketers are putting less emphasis on teenagers, says Marshal Cohen, co-president of marketing research firm NPDFashionworld in Port Washington, NY. “Retailers and brands are recognizing that they must market to different demographics,” Cohen says. “For the past few years it’s been teenagers, teenagers, teenagers — but baby boomers are still a large purchaser and what about Generation X?”

Heralding a return of classic styles and reaching multi-demographics takes more than traditional TV and print advertising. Many big-name brands and retailers, including Gap, Levi’s and Hanes, are matching clothing lines that emphasize comfort and essentials with splashy, interactive marketing campaigns.

With jeans as the only apparel must-have that appeals across all demographics, manufacturers are moving away from fashion and promoting brands’ images, Cohen says. Hence, Gap is hawking the T-shirts and khakis that first made it popular with yuppies, while Hanes cuddles up with cotton for its new tagless T-shirt for men.

“Consumer purchasing is down and manufacturers are attempting to provide a more compelling fashion story to get consumers shopping again,” says Eric Hertz, president of Eric Hertz Consulting, New York City. “There is a growing awareness that while teens continue to make up one of the strongest industry segments, older consumers are in better shape and more fashion-conscious than ever before.”

Levi Strauss & Co., for example, is rolling out its Type 1 line of clothing featuring indigo-rinsed jeans and fitted — but not skin-sucking — tops and jackets. The clothes incorporate several of the brand’s signature logos with a modern touch, from the red tab to the leather back-patch.

The San Francisco-based company dug deep into its marketing budget for the launch, “virtually” burying a pair of $85,000 jewel-studded jeans that consumers were to locate. The winner of the Gold Rush promotion got to keep the jeans, which were bedecked with a 2.5-karat diamond, rubies and gold — and stuffed with cash. Weekly clues were posted on levi.com and a 60-second spot via Bartle Bogle Hegarty, New York City, revealed the final clue during the Super Bowl telecast on Jan. 26.

“Type 1 is one of the most significant product launches in Levi’s history and it’s taking place during the company’s 150th anniversary, so we really wanted consumers to be able to experience the brand,” says John Ordona, a company spokesperson. The Web site, which was developed by London-based interactive shop Lateral, saw visit lengths triple during the promotion.

Meanwhile, hometown rival Gap is putting its shoppers in the spotlight and offering them the chance to appear in a Gap print ad. Casting Call kicked off in November by inviting consumers (via online ads and P-O-P displays) of all ages to drop off an entry and photograph at gap.com or at any Gap, GapBody, GapKids or babyGap store. “The idea stemmed from letters and phone calls we’ve gotten for years from customers asking how they could be in one of our ads,” says Rebecca Weill, director of Gap p.r. “We thought that it would be fun to give them a chance, and to build a marketing campaign around this concept.”

Gap selected semifinalists, flew them to San Francisco for judging, and when the field was narrowed down in January to 24 finalists, posted them on gap.com and in the windows of more than 1,000 stores for public voting. Six winners (one each among men, women, boys, girls, baby boys and baby girls) were announced last month and will appear in an ad later this year. Gap handled the promotion in-house and teamed with Yahoo, Sunnyvale, CA, for online ads.

Others have found success seeking customer input. Spiegel Catalog, Inc. relies heavily on e-mail marketing to lure visitors to its Web site. The Downers Grove, IL-based company asks consumers to vote on future catalog cover designs. “They love to tell you what they think,” says Rich Burke, divisional VP of e-commerce for Spiegel Catalog. The catalog offers special lunch-time discounts to select customers once a month. For a few hours, they receive a percentage off items from the home and apparel collections.

Elsewhere, Hanes is playing up the comfort of tagless cotton T-shirts to carry its marketing message home.

“Any way we can make our customers more comfortable, they have responded,” says Jake Van Wyk, director of marketing for Hanes Underwear. The Winston-Salem, NC-based division of Sara Lee in October launched its Tagless underwear T-shirts with p.r. events in Los Angeles, New York City, Miami, Chicago — and Comfort, TX. A national ad campaign followed in November starring 15-year Hanes spokesperson Michael Jordan.

A spot with Jordan and actor Jackie Chan (trying stunt moves to pull a pesky tag off a non-Hanes T-shirt) premiered during the Super Bowl. During the game, Hanes also sponsored ABC’s Enhanced TV, which allowed viewers to log on and play real-time fantasy football, answer trivia related to the broadcast and the Hanes commercial, and check game stats.

Consumers can print out a $1 coupon for the product at gotagless.com, where Hanes staged various promotions this fall, including a sweepstakes for a trip to the Bahamas. Hanes also sponsored a six-market October-to-December tour for comedian Brian Regan.

The Martin Agency, Richmond, VA, handles ads; Weber Shandwick, New York City, takes care of p.r.

Meanwhile, The Timberland Co., Stratham, NH, is showing that its shoes really are made for walking. To showcase its Smart Comfort design, Timberland invites customers to “test-drive” the line of shoes; the first 25 consumers to do so at designated retailers receive a free Leatherman tool (value: $60). Timberland kicked off the program in August and staged events at 72 locations through December; more are planned for this year, including expansion to more women’s shoes and men’s casual shoes. Interactive tutorials let consumers see how their feet expand, contract and flex throughout the day and how the Smart Comfort shoes change along with the foot.

“Guys are tearing off their shoes and running to us — and to get a shoe off a guy is not an easy thing,” says Chris Heffernan, brand manager for men’s casual footwear at Timberland. (See sidebar on footwear programs.)

Elsewhere, private-label brands are stepping on the toes of some apparel manufacturers and retailers. Target, Wal-Mart and Kmart are pushing their Mossimo, Faded Glory and Joe Boxer brands, respectively. “These campaigns are about promoting the image of the store and the brands — and not the everyday low-pricing campaigns they did a year ago,” Cohen says. “Meanwhile, the tables have turned and the more upscale brands are playing up low prices.”

Private-label now makes up 36 percent of total apparel sales, according to NPDFashionworld. This figure is up 26 percent from five years ago.

Some brands aren’t worried. “Private label is getting more floor space these days, but if [consumers] can have a similar or close-to price, they will go with quality,” says Liz Cahill, director of advertising and p.r. for Lee. “While we haven’t been hit as dramatically as our competitors, we have been emphasizing better fabrications on our packaging and with in-store signage,” she says.

For Merriam, KS-based Lee, a division of Vanity Fair Corp., the secret is targeting. Lee has five sub-brands for seven-year-old boys, their moms (women 35 and older) and every demographic in between. Each requires a different promotional strategy.

Lee is currently launching its One True Fit jeans line for women aged 24 to 35. Advertising for this group will be broadcast-heavy, since they are typically bombarded with print ads, Cahill says.

Last year, Lee Dungarees (aimed at 17-to-24-year old males) sponsored the extreme sports Gravity Games to relay the brand’s “unstoppable” tagline. Game participants who reached the top row on pegboard challenges received a free pair of Lee Dungarees.

To reach youngsters, Lee relies on in-store promotions. “It’s difficult to market to a young boy when…the mother is making the purchase decision,” Cahill says. For back-to-school this year, Lee Pipe jeans will carry the Tony Hawk 4 PlayStation 2 game attached to product.

Sounds like they’ve got it all stitched up. Here’s hoping the return to apparel classics holds at least through the spring and summer seasons.