Justin Bieber & Kendall Jenner Have Boosted CK’s Sales
What might have looked like a shameless play for millennials—Justin Bieber’s enhanced muscles, Kendall Jenner’s flirty pout—has totally worked. WWD reports that Emanuel Chirico, chairman and chief executive officer of Calvin Klein parent PVH Corp., said on a conference call this week, “the bleeding has stopped.”
Calvin Klein lost 50% of its market share over the past five years, but over the last year, they’ve experience double digit boosts, thanks to a refocusing on denim—“We are in the early stages of a turnaround in the jeans business. We have significantly improved the quality level of our jeans line with better fabrics, trends and packaging.”—and a major play for younger consumers.
Kendall Jenner is the face of Calvin Klein Jeans.
In January we reported the unprecedented increase in social followers that Bieber’s casting earned the brand immediately after the campaign broke. Over 3.5 million on Twitter alone. “The hashtag #mycalvins has been mentioned more than 1.85 million times and counting—approximately five times that of Kardashian’s attempt to #breaktheinternet,” we wrote two weeks after the launch. And that was two months before Kendall Jenner’s campaign hit.
But the fascinating part is how directly that translated into sales. WWD writes, “the Calvin Klein North America men’s underwear business gained 300 basis points of market share in the first quarter.” (Bieber’s ads hit in January.) With the Internet and dozens of social media channels competing for two second’s of the world’s attention, CK offers real proof of how a major (and expensive) splash can actually turn a business around. Just break the Internet.
Related: Justin Bieber is the Best Thing to Ever Happen to Calvin Klein
It’s Official! Kendall Jenner for Calvin Klein’s #MyCalvins Campaign
