Claire’s, the trendy accessories chain for girls, has launched a summer campaign called “A Girl SMR at Claire’s” designed to get Gen Alpha off their mobile devices and away from screens and into some real and fun experiences for the senses.
It’s the first major campaign, encompassing marketing, stores, collaborations and new products, since Claire’s was acquired out of bankruptcy by Ames Watson for $140 million last year. Ames Watson is a holding company with more than $2 billion in revenues.
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According to Claire’s, the campaign is “rooted in Gen Alpha’s obsession with ASMR, tactile fidgets and all things sensory and brings the first social and AI native generation into an IRL universe build around activating the five senses. It’s a counterbalance to their screen-filled upbringing and an invitation to explore girlhood through feel-good, hands-on fun.”
Claire’s said the campaign is anchored in a “summer sensory shop” with collectibles including soft, stretchy slimes and squishes; bright, bejeweled accessories; charms, and textured beauty products, geared to provide, as the company indicated, “a playful form of escapism and self-soothing for a generation growing up in an always-on digital environment.”
Certain Claire’s stores will set up ASMR recording stations for girls to create their own ASMR content. ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response) refers to the soothing feeling people experience from specific audio or visual triggers like whispering, tapping, crinkling, or repetitive movements. SMR is a play on ASMR and an abbreviated version of the word “summer.”
Claire’s began seeing a meaningful rise in demand for sensory-driven products over the holiday season so the company is leaning further into this space for summer.
“Gen Alpha is rewriting the rules of modern girlhood and Claire’s is evolving with them,” said Michelle Goad, Claire’s chief brand officer, in a statement. “This new era is about creating a world where girls can explore, express and experience joy through every sense.”
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