Urban Outfitters blends physical, digital with back-to-school campaign

Dive Brief:

• Urban Outfitters is gearing up for back-to-school shopping with a new, three part-campaign that launched July 10, according to a press release.
• “Shift Happens” will have a presence across multiple channels, including a social media partnership with Pinterest. An in-person, two-day Space Shift event at The Chelsea Factory in New York City runs July 10-11.
• As part of the Pinterest partnership, several influencers created their own brand-forward boards, which will be brought to life at the activation. Consumers also can win $5,000 in Urban Outfitters products to bring their own Pinterest boards to life.

Dive Insight:

Urban Outfitters is getting ready for back-to-school season with a social-heavy campaign that includes a Pinterest partnership and a two-day activation at The Chelsea Factory. “Shift Happens” is a clever play on words that nods to the changes that young people experience around pivotal events like going back to school. 

“We recognize the coming of age experience can be overwhelming and filled with the unknown. Our goal is to make the transition to adulthood an empowering and inspiring journey,” said Shea Jensen, president of Urban Outfitters, in a statement. “We hope our commitment to celebrate the extraordinary attributes that make this generation truly unique will allow us to connect to them on an authentic level.”

The campaign hopes to merge the physical and the digital. Like many Gen Z-forward brands, Urban Outfitters is employing the use of influencers including Anya Tisdale, Kai McPhee, Morgan Maher and Rabab. Their custom Pinterest boards will be brought to life at the in-person activation, where consumers will be able to immerse themselves and have a chance to shop the boards. The Space Shift activation also features live performances by R&B singer Tinashe, whose latest single, “Nasty,” has gone viral on TikTok. 

In addition to The Chelsea Factory activation, Urban Outfitters will be popping up at college campuses across the country. Each college activation will include limited-edition drops from partner brands. To ensure a social presence, the outfitter is enlisting 100 creatives to break up doom scrolling and insert positivity into feeds. “Shift Happens” will also engage other Gen Z-relevant brands including Birkenstock, Oakley and UGG.

As a retailer, Urban Outfitters has struggled. Of the five brands owned by its parent company, Urban Outfitters was the only one to see negative growth in the most recent quarter. Still, its owner, which also operates Free People and Anthropologie, posted a Q1 record of $1.2 billion in total sales, representing 8% growth, according to an earnings call.