The 'GG'
From the iconic green and red color palette to eye-catching designs, Gucci is one of the most recognizable brand names in the entire world. At first, Gucci was a store that only sold small leather goods and luggage. Now, the brand has expanded to clothing, bags, shoes, accessories, and even has a children’s line – even kids can be drippin’ in style!
In 2018 Gucci had more than $8 billion in sales, of that, 62% was sold to customers under 35 years-old. Gucci’s CEO, Marco Bizzarri, has attributed the success of capturing a younger demographic to a balance between creativity and technology. However, it is more than just the product that makes this brand unique, it is their strategic partnerships as well. In this blog, Hollywood Branded discusses the benefit of Gucci’s strategic partnerships with Disney and The North Face.
Gucci x Disney
Back in January 2020, Gucci partnered with Disney to celebrate the Chinese New Year. What better way to celebrate the year of the mouse (or, technically, the year of the rat) than with the most recognizable one in the world: Mickey! This partnership brought Mickey Mouse’s face to a new collection of scarves, bags, shoes, and many more products.
The most unique aspect of this collection are the new materials that Gucci is using in the products: “The Mini GG Supreme canvas with Mickey Mouse print, a beige and ebony fabric that features a vintage Mini GG pattern with Mickey Mouse playfully applied to it in varying scale” (laughingplace.com). However, this print also pays homage to Gucci’s 1980 looks with similar colors.
Gucci shot an advertising campaign set at Disneyland Resort in California to help market the collection. This partnership brought in more than just those celebrating the Chinese New Year. Customers from around the world bought Mickey Mouse-branded Gucci items, especially those of the younger demographic. The collection was the perfect mix – fun, different, trendy, and high quality.
However, this was not the first time that Gucci and Disney have partnered. In 2018, the designer brand helped celebrate Mickey Mouse’s 90th birthday.
Source: laughingplace.com
Gucci x The North Face
Now this partnership is one for the books, and is one that no one expected. Gucci’s partnership with the North Face is the first time that the designer brand has teamed up with another brand. This strategic partnership can be credited to Gucci’s Creative Director, Alessandro Michele. Michele was able to further enhance the idea of outdoor apparel. The collection includes everything from shoes to hats to even sleeping bags! According to GQ, “Michele uses greens and blues that would never occur in nature and plasters the Gucci logo all over nearly every piece of the collection. The North Face x Gucci collection seems to argue that it’s the natural surroundings that are there to see you rather than the other way around.”
Gucci first announced this collaboration back in September 2020 with a series of videos posted to TikTok. Another genius marketing move by the brand has their younger customers are all over the new short-form video app. The three videos were simple yet impactful. At first, the TikToks showed aspects of the outdoors and then zoomed in on a flag with the name of both brands on it.
With this collection, people who enjoy camping, hiking, and all things outdoors are able to purchase products that are meant for the wonders of the outdoors while at the same time looking fashionable. Check out the marketing video for the campaign here!
Source: thenorthface.com
Well, I Guess This Is 'GG'oodbye
The past couple of years, Gucci has been able to reinvent itself as a luxury fashion brand. Everything from their image, product, and strategic partnerships have allowed Gucci to continue to keep up with their reputation and attract a new audience base.
Partnering with Disney and the North Face have allowed Gucci to reinvent the idea of high-end fashion. Above all else, both strategic partnerships allowed Gucci to continue to do what the brand does best: be different.
If you want to learn more about how strategic partnerships can help your brand, check out other blogs written by our team:
- The Power Of Brand Partnerships: A Stranger Things Case Study
- How A Strategic Brand Partnership Drives Sales: Supreme Case Study
- Luxury Brands Utilizing Entertainment Partnerships To Enhance Their Business
- 14 Reasons Why Productions Need to Hire Brand Marketing Strategists
- Japanese Anime Offers Product Placement Partnerships For Brands
