The backstory
Sustainability is an increasingly important issue in the fashion industry, with many brands actively tapping into a new ethical sourcing and production era. However, many of these high-end brands that tap into sustainability come with an expensive price tag that is likely out of many people’s price ranges, especially Gen Z consumers. Gen Z is a passionate advocate for sustainability and ethical practices, among the most critical aspects of its consumption.
Many brands that prioritize sustainability approach it from a similar lens: using recycled single-use water bottles for new materials, reducing their water intake, minimizing deadstock fabrics, and showcasing the reduction of their carbon footprint overall. With so many brands at various price points showing ethical practices, it is crucial to figure out what has not been tapped into regarding the future of sustainability.
How can Ralph Lauren Corporation, an American fashion powerhouse, diversify its sustainability approach whilst bringing Gen Z consumers into the Ralph Lauren world?
What’s the challenge?
Sustainability is becoming increasingly popular in the fashion industry but at a cost. Many Gen Z consumers, who are actively passionate about supporting brands that advocate for better ethical practices, cannot afford luxury sustainable pieces due to their expensive price points. Ralph Lauren Corporation wants to be accessible to the next generation of consumers, the generation that prioritizes sustainable fashion and unique ways to promote it for this younger audience that Ralph Lauren is not typically targeting.
Ralph Lauren Corporation wants to help find a new, unique approach to sustainability that Gen Z would react to and appreciate. They must look into what is not currently being utilized within the industry, which could create a new avenue for reducing one’s carbon footprint, and determine who would be the correct vessel to get this message across. Who is a Gen Z advocate for a sustainable future whilst beloved among the generation? Where are potholes within the industry not tapped into regarding creating the fashion itself to be more ethical? How can Gen Z consumers be targeted to approach a luxury brand at a more affordable price point? These are elements that Ralph Lauren Corporation must consider when moving forward with a fully sustainable collection.
Who are we talking to?
We are talking to Gen Z consumers, specifically environmental-focused customers who want to purchase environmentally and financially beneficial items.
This generation is passionate about doing what they can to change the world, including where they purchase clothing from. They actively support brands that make a real effort to showcase change within how a brand can be sustainable. They are not afraid of standing up for what they believe in and choosing to support changemakers in various industries, especially if they are Gen Z themselves.
62% of Gen Z prefer to buy from sustainable brands, and 73% are willing to pay more for sustainable products (First Insight). Regarding purchasing power, Gen Z is the most likely generation to make buying decisions based on environmental, social, and governance aspects, with 75% saying they want to see brands ensure social impact issues (Petro, 2021).
The campaign
Ralph Lauren Corporation will create a fully sustainable line with Gen Z American singer-songwriter Billie Eilish for the “Birds of a Feather” capsule collection. This collection will showcase cargo shorts, thermal long-sleeve shirts, a corduroy flat cap, three t-shirts designed by Eilish, and accessories made with a sustainable-forward perspective in mind.
The items will be made from materials and fabrics that would have ended up in a landfill or incinerated, one of the leading environmental causes within the fashion industry. These materials will be utilized for the capsule collection and, thus, get a new life that is timeless and better for the planet.
The “Birds of a Feather” collection will be announced on August 1st, mere days after Billie Eilish’s “Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour” worldwide tour is complete. This is perfect timing for fans to remain excited about the album. The line will be showcased during New York Fashion Week in early September, allowing fans of the fashion industry, Gen Z sustainable advocates, and Billie Eilish fans to see the capsule collection in motion.
The line will be available in all Ralph Lauren stores and online on October 1st, with the backstory of the ethical practices, designing and making the line, and Eilish’s approach to sustainability in collaboration with Ralph Lauren. The educational aspect of the campaign will include the benefits of taking fabrics and materials from landfills, the reduction of Ralph Lauren’s carbon footprint within the campaign, and different styling options so that customers can wear these products for a lifetime.
Where will the ad appear?
The “Birds of a Feather” campaign will appear with OOH campaigning throughout New York and Los Angeles, as well as online and print advertising. The campaigns will primarily target New York and Los Angeles due to New York Fashion Week and Los Angeles being Eilish’s home, both heavily fashion-oriented. The online campaign will include social media video promotion of Eilish showcasing the collection with the song “Birds of a Feather” in the background and the collection’s journey. This will allow fans to visually conceptualize the journey Ralph Lauren Corporation and Billie Eilish took in making this collection uniquely sustainable.
The advertising will also appear in digital and print fashion magazines, with styling videos by Eilish on channels like Vogue and behind-the-scenes footage of the New York Fashion Week show on Elle and Harper’s Bazaar. The print advertising will cover similar channels, showing the campaign shoot of Eilish and other Gen Z models wearing the collection.
The ad tagline will be “Birds of a feather, we must dress together,” which draws inspiration from Eilish’s lyrics in the song “Birds of a Feather.” The advertisements will show Eilish in nature, which is on brand for Ralph Lauren Corporation, and featuring fellow Gen Z models all wearing the capsule collection.
What is our goal?
Our goal is to target Gen Z audiences to become lifelong customers of Ralph Lauren Corporation and promote a new, creative approach to sustainability. The collection will benefit the brand’s perspective around sustainability since they currently partake in bettering their carbon footprint but are not vastly known for their sustainability. Shifting and challenging other brands to think outside of the box, Ralph Lauren Corporation will be the inspiration for a brand that can uniquely target a younger audience.
By implementing Billie Eilish for this new sustainability approach, Ralph Lauren Corporation will increase brand awareness within Gen Z since Eilish is seen mainly as one of the generation’s voices. Billie Eilish is one of the most well-known artists, with over 100 million monthly listeners on Spotify and over 123 million Instagram followers. This will instill a sense of loyalty between the brand and the target audience of the generation, trusting Ralph Lauren to be a strong, sustainable brand in which to invest.
Why do we need this ad?
For Ralph Lauren Corporation to continue being an American luxury powerhouse, they must approach the new generation of customers by seeing what they are passionate about. Continuing to target its target audience and its desired target audience is an essential task in which sustainability plays a key factor. This ad campaign shows that Ralph Lauren Corporation is meeting Gen Z sustainable consumers where they are whilst pushing what has already been created in the industry.