ABCs Desperate Housewives and the Suddenly Famous Pink Blanket
Ever since Cary Grant rattled the men's t-shirt industry by
famously appearing without one and causing a decline in retail
sales of undershirts, television and movie stars have been
changing the tastes of the American consumer.
For retailers in the baby products market, these
celebrity-induced trends haven't been as much of a factor as
they have been in the adult fashion world. No more. The American
psyche seems to have entered a new phase of celebrity baby
watching as Britney, Katie, Brooke and the rest show up on
magazine covers with their babies alongside them. Now everyone
seems to need to know which brand of stroller or diaper bag
celebrity moms are using. And, not only in the popular blogs
about celebrity babies, but also in the mainstream media, the
baby buzz gets louder all the time.
Case Study: Desperate Housewives and Little Giraffe
Although much of the baby hoopla comes from celebrities and their
own children, a recent example shows how television is
capitalizing on and contributing to the same trends. One of the
most striking examples of celebrity culture impacting consumer
tastes in the baby market was seen recently when the ABC mega-hit
Desperate Housewives created a stir in the usually calm baby
boutique world by featuring a designer baby blanket made by
Little Giraffe (
www.littlegiraffe.com). When Eva Longoria's
character Gabi brings home an adopted baby wrapped in a
beautiful, obviously super-soft pink blanket, suddenly, the
phones at baby boutiques around the country are ringing off the
hook as customers demand one of these blankets for themselves.
So even though Gabi's stint as a mother ended several episodes
later when Lily's birth mother reclaimed her, Lily's appearance
on Wisteria Lane created a ripple effect still felt in baby
boutiques around the country.
The now-famous pink blanket has also sparked a groundswell of
interest in Little Giraffe, the company that designed it.
Jennifer Zankan, of Jeneration PR, the company that manages
Little Giraffe's publicity, has stated that the company's
signature blanket "has become Hollywood's hottest baby product.
We've been getting calls from people like Tom Cruise and Katie
Holmes asking us to send them blankets."
Baby Boutiques Take Note!
All the buzz in Hollywood is apparently getting out onto Main
Street, where celebrity-endorsed designer products like Little
Giraffe are more popular than ever. Cundy Bryson, one of the
owners of Sleepytime Store (
www.sleepytimestore.com), a baby
boutique based in Atlanta that features the Little Giraffe line
of baby blankets, stated that purchases of Little Giraffe baby
blankets rose dramatically this spring, and she attributes the
increase to baby Lily's blanket. "I don't watch the show every
week," she admitted, "so I was surprised when my customers
started asking me about the baby blanket they saw on Desperate
Housewives.”
Bryson went on to note that earlier this year sales of Little
Giraffe blankets increased when it was publicized that stars like
Angelina Jolie and Katie Holmes used Little Giraffe blankets,
"but the Desperate Housewives appearance had the biggest effect
by far."
For Bryson and other retailers in the baby products market, it
makes sense to keep up with Hollywood trends because in today's
celebrity-focused world, whatever the stars are doing, will
likely be picked up by the public eventually. And this trend
shows no signs of slackening. According to Zankan, Little Giraffe
blankets are going to be featured in People Magazine's upcoming
baby issue. If Hollywood has anything to do with it, those baby
boutiques better get ready for even bigger crowds.
About the Author
For more information on the companies mentioned
in this article, contact:
Little Giraffe, Inc:
http://www.littlegiraffe.com or email:
info@littlegiraffe.comSleepytime Store:
http://www.sleepytimestore.comor email:
info@sleepytimestore.com