The retailer — which traditionally has handled the creative work for its advertising in-house — has hired Mekanism to develop the new campaign, aimed at promoting the concept of “Youphoria.” This includes videos featuring young adults involved in activities like chopping wood or riding a motorcycle while fashionably dressed.

The campaign is the latest effort by Nordstrom to attract young shoppers. Last September it began selling the British fast-fashion brands Topshop and Topman at select stores and online. It also bought the flash-sale site HauteLook and is selling Bonobos, the e-commerce brand, in its stores. And in February, it revamped the merchandise sold in its Savvy department, reducing the average price point to $50 from $150, and offering what Michael Crotty, Nordstrom’s vice president of marketing, called “new, of the moment” brands.

Mr. Crotty said the retailer was now “offering a wider mix of high to low merchandise, it’s something we hear that our customers are looking for.”

Pete Caban, a partner and head of strategic development at Mekanism, which is based in San Francisco, said the agency “wanted to create something that would connect with the customer in a lighthearted, fun, engaging way that would show personality.”

To that end, Mekanism developed the “Youphoria” concept; its message, the executives said, is that “great style from Nordstrom can help you build a character that is uniquely your own. Under one roof you’ll find incredible brands and style that are attainable for everybody.”

One of the campaign’s videos features a stylishly dressed man carving a large log with a chainsaw. The voice-over says, “Slim cut, Oxford sport coat. Pocket square. Italian monk strap shoe. And, of course, leather gloves for safety. It’s perfect, just because you’re building a log cabin doesn’t mean you should dress like a crazed mountain hermit.”

A second video depicts a hip young woman squirting lighter fluid into a raging bonfire, with a man in a raccoon suit dancing in the background. The voice-over here says, “Some people light a fire with two sticks. You light it with a laser-cut mini, black leather moto jacket, and an arm stacked with bangles. Because you’re not a woodsman, you’re a lady, with a bottle of lighter fluid and a mission to party.”

The third video, showing another young woman on a minibike riding down a hill, has a voice-over that says, “It’s not where you’re going, it’s how you get there. Cotton lace sundress. Strappy metallic stilettos. Something sparkly. And a smirk that says, ‘Yes, you have that right. I am piloting a minibike through life.’ ”

The videos, which are all 30 seconds long, end with the tagline, “Youphoria. It’s more attainable than you think. Find yours at Nordstrom.”

Nordstrom began promoting the videos earlier this month in six markets, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles (including Orange County) and San Diego, all of which except Houston have multiple Nordstrom stores. Mr. Crotty said these markets were chosen because Nordstrom felt it could “learn a lot from them. It’s important to drive people into the store and online” to shop.

Aimed at men and women ages 25 to 35 who are interested in fashion, music and pop culture, the campaign will run through the end of May; Nordstrom has temporarily suspended it in Boston, in the aftermath of the marathon bombings.

Mr. Crotty said Nordstrom had opted to post the videos now because this period “is the transition from one season to the next. People are tired of wearing winter clothes. It’s the right time for us.”

The videos are available on Nordstrom’s YouTube channel and are being promoted by the retailer via Twitter, Facebook and its Web site. New digital ads, purchased with the help of Omnicom Media Group — featuring images from the videos and encouraging viewers to shop at www.nordstrom.com — are aimed at individuals in Nordstrom’s demographic and geographic target markets who go to Web sites like Vevo, Glam Network, Pandora, Zimbio and Latina.com.

Next month, Nordstrom stores in all video markets but Boston, will hold parties at which the retailer will give fashion bloggers a gift card to shop for an outfit that will make them feel they have “reached Youphoria,” Mr. Crotty said.

Nordstrom’s budget for the Youphoria campaign is less than $5 million. According to Mr. Crotty, the retailer has focused its advertising efforts almost entirely in the last few years on digital advertising, to stimulate online and in-store sales. He said Nordstrom spent more than $36 million on advertising last year, virtually all on digital efforts.

He said digital advertising helped Nordstrom find “a lot of new customers online and in-store. Somewhat younger customers respond really well to digital messages.”

Article source: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/22/business/media/creating-youphoria-the-nordstrom-way.html?partner=rss&emc=rss