Featuring frames

1 stores have declared that 2009 will be the year of in product sales. Given the popularity of the brand, Emporium Eyewear is pleased to have the licence for frames. ‘We get offered different lines to distribute from France and Italy all the time but have been waiting for 2 the right opportunity to develop,’ says Malcolm Cooperman, director of Emporium Eyewear. ‘The idea of developing frames in conjunction with 3 Disney for younger people first of came about when we wanted to do Power Rangers, something that is very popular with my own children. Through talking to Disney about this we were 4 given the opportunity to bring Hannah Montana and High School Musical ranges to market. Power Rangers will 1 HAN4519; 2 HAN4509; follow this summer.’ 3 HAN4519; 4 HAN4506 There are 25 styles in Hannah Montana (HM) and seven in the High School Musical (HSM), all in three to four colours. This gives a total of about 90 skus. ‘The reason there are so many is because the brand will be worn by a wide age group, so we had to cater for many different sizes and tastes,’ explains Cooperman. ‘The frames are very fresh and unique; encompassing adult styles but also feature the HM logo. The logo is important in terms of identifying the frames with the brand but is relatively In tween days discreet compared to frames aimed at lower age ranges. Mike Hale finds out how harnessing the power of the tween ‘The styles are specifically designed with kids and tweens in mind. We have market is helping Emporium Eyewear to expand not just taken adult frames and shrunk them down, but rather thought about f you have a kid yourself, know Along with fellow Disney stablemate what a tween would want to be seen someone with a kid or even just High School Musical, Hannah Montana in. We looked very closely at what HM seen the giant advertisements on has come to define the tween age and HSM mean to this market segment, the side of buses you will have group that can be extremely lucrative and created designs that are consistent heard of Hannah Montana, the to marketers. The term tween defines with that. We also paid special attention global marketing phenomenon children between seven and 14 years to the logos on the frames. We believe Ifrom Disney. A plethora of Hannah of age who are no longer children but that this range of frames opens up a Montana-related products are being are not yet teenagers in terms of their new market segment for opticians that brought to market in the UK this development. The tween girls who has never existed before, and with this year following the successful transfer make up the majority of the Hannah greater opportunity to supply patients of the television show from the US. Montana fanbase relate to the ordinary with brands they really want to wear, as Emporium Eyewear is joining the gold Miley Stewart but want to be like opposed to what is just available.’ rush with a range of Hannah Montana her glamourous , Hannah The tween market is already very frames along with frames for Disney’s Montana. With a movie out in April, established in the US and many are other hit show High School Musical. many of the major UK department expecting this to spread to the UK. The worldwide success of Hannah ‘When the tween market was first Montana is quite staggering: the TV Tweens identified in the US no one knew show is the number one show among ● Friendship and peer acceptance are how significant it would become,’ kids aged 6-14 in the US and is now important at this life stage says Cooperman. ‘This is a chance shown in over 50 countries, live ● They want to ‘fit in’ but are also for opticians to stock a product concerts sell out in hours and millions beginning to develop their individuality that will speak directly to a certain of books and dvds have been sold. The ● Highly influenced by trends, celeb- demographic. This is a big advantage premise of the show is that 15-year old rity, television and the internet for a retailer in a recession. The last Miley Stewart, (played by ) ● They are becoming tech-savvy thing people will stop spending despite seeming to be an ordinary girl ● Disney currently dominates the money on is their kids and the frames next door, is in fact secretly the famous marketplace. are affordable enough that anyone teen pop sensation Hannah Montana. who wants them can have a pair.’ ●

14 | Optician | 20.03.09 opticianonline.net