Tommy Hilfiger and the Millennial Generation

There were many popular brands in the 90's that only maintained relevancy in the 90's. However, Tommy Hilfiger has managed to combat that. As mentioned in my previous blog post, social media makes a significant impact on the world we live in today. People equate relevancy to your brand based on your social media presence. Many people assumed that Tommy Hilfiger’s company would die in the early 00's due to low sales and a tough time attempting to appeal to an audience of people who would rather shop from Nike or Urban Outfitters.

Ironically, Tommy Hilfiger was even close to selling the company to Walmart due to poor sales. However, in 2016, fashion model, Gigi Hadid and Tommy Hilfiger collaborated to create “Tommy X Gigi,” a clothing line that added a refreshing flare to Hilfiger’s seemingly stagnant style. Hadid, has been successful in reaching the millennial generation and has helped the brand maintain relevancy and influence the same way it did in the 90's when popular R&B artist, Aaliyah, became a brand ambassador. Though the celebrity power of Gigi Hadid has helped the brand reach a new audience, the Hilfiger brand has established an undeniable social media presence.

The company has Twitter (1.5+ million followers), Instagram (6.5+ million followers), YouTube (37 k + subscribers), and Facebook (11+ million followers) accounts. On each account, there is a noticeable simplistic pattern that the company has chosen. Photo and video backgrounds are almost always red, white, or blue. This is in ode to the company logo. If the background doesn’t have one of those three colors, the models wearing the clothing, or the product featured, part of that color palette. It is a rarity that the background color changes unless a photo is taken outside. This consistency and simplistic layout helps his brand stand out from other competitors.

However, a noticeable missing aspect in their social media presence is their lack of interaction with followers. On their Facebook page, some consumers state that they are dissatisfied with social media content or products purchased online, yet, the company leaves no response. Even when people leave positive comments there is no interaction. This can be dissatisfying to customers, especially if they enjoy the brand. It can imply to consumers that the Hilfiger corporations don’t care about their customers or expect them to find resolution on their own.

Their Facebook page posts seem to be a mixture of their YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter page. I’ve noticed posts that are already uploaded to those accounts appear in the Facebook feed which may be why their traffic is so low on Facebook. Users have essentially already seen the same thing on the other platforms. There are also very few likes or comments on the page. On average, each post has under thirty comments and under three thousand likes.

This lack of interaction also goes for Instagram and Twitter. However, on December 17th, 2017, some users commented that Tommy Hilfiger is racist. To add some insight on these comments, a rumor was spread in the late 90's that Tommy Hilfiger didn’t want black people to wear his clothing. Allegedly, Oprah Winfrey cancelled his scheduled interview after finding out about his remarks. However, Oprah dismissed this rumor in the mid-2000's after stating she never even met Tommy Hilfiger. She even hosted an interview with him on her show in hopes of helping him regain his credibility. In response to people who assumed the rumor was still true, the Hilfiger brand commented to the remarks with the statement, “the racist rumors about Tommy Hilfiger are absolutely not true. Please follow these links to the Oprah site and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) who proved this rumor false independently” along with a link to the video.

Their Instagram page predominately consists of the introduction of seasonal clothing, new collaborations, as well as sale offers. Some posts are videos and others are photos. On average, each Instagram post doesn’t exceed four hundred comments or forty thousand likes. Within the comments section, fans and consumers generally leave good remarks about the brand. If not, consumers will ask questions about discontinued lines or collaborations that typically go unanswered or answered with a general statement, such as “view the Tommy Hilfiger website for more information.”

Their YouTube account has a unique style than their other social media accounts. On YouTube, they highlight upcoming and established artists, such as The Chainsmokers. These highlights usually involve a very brief snippet of the artists music. In these videos, artists are seen wearing Hilfiger apparel. In addition, runway shows are always featured, along with behind the scenes runway access, which help to personalize the brand for consumers. Seeing their favorite models and artists can build an image of trust and may ultimately cause their fans to become interested in the brand. However, most comments on each video rarely exceed over ten. There are typically one thousand or more views with no more than about six hundred likes. Each video typically contains pop or hip-hop music which would attract most younger audiences.

Most recently, the company has collaborated with Mercedes-AMG F1, and will be creating clothing for race car drivers and motor sport fans. In addition, Tommy Hilfiger will be hosting a runway show in Milan with a Motorsports theme. Though this is advertised on all social media platforms, it is most heavily advertised on twitter. On February 23rd, there were over ten tweets related to the Mercedes collaboration and his upcoming runway show on the 25th. During the entire month of February, the fashion show has been promoted on the page. Though there has been consisting posting, there is a scarcity of likes, that typically don’t exceed over five hundred. Retweets typically don’t exceed fifty and comments typically remain at twenty or less.

On all social media pages, it is noticeable that there is very little variety in terms of age. All models featured are either children or young adults. Even on the official Hilfiger site there are only young models featured. This can suggest that most of their consumers or target audience are millennial's. If this is the case, they are successfully appealing to them by showcasing their age group, featuring pop or hip-hop music in videos, and using artists or well-known models to exhibit apparel. Their primary focus also seems to be selling clothing. I didn’t come across a post that featured bedding or fragrances in recent months. Another important thing to take note of from Tommy Hilfiger, is the fact that the company posts daily. Even if they post once a day, they manage to keep their audience updated on new collaborations, runway shows, and collections.

Ultimately, if Tommy Hilfiger can exhilarate his company from the strong hold of the 90's, so can you. Though you may not be a global brand known and loved by many, it is important that you always consider your image online because it can be a strong indicator of your life offline. Remember, image matters, and like Tommy Hilfiger, you want to stand out and be remembered.