A Look Into the Ad Campaign Behind the Warby Parker x Emma Chamberlain Collaboration
Image Courtesy: Warby Parker
Emma Chamberlain has become a paramount figure in today’s fashion scene, but how did she go from a 16 year old YouTuber to a media mogul with her own coffee company, podcast, and partnerships with some of the biggest names in luxury fashion? The secret to her success is her unconventional personal brand, which she continues to cultivate and expand through innovative partnerships, like her recent collaboration with Warby Parker.
Established in New York City in 2010, Warby Parker entered the eyewear scene as a decidedly quirky and fashion-forward way for customers to express their personal style. The affordable frames have since become a staple for people around the globe, and Emma Chamberlain herself has been wearing Warby’s since she was 14. The product line and resulting ad campaign embody what it means to be unconventionally chic by perfectly combining Warby Parker’s playful approach to eyewear with Chamberlain’s taste for the classy and avant-garde. Let’s dive into how and why the campaign has caused such a stir.
Pigeons?
Image Courtesy: Warby Parker
To many New Yorkers, pigeons aren’t much more than a disease-carrying, crumb-eating nuisance, but Warby Parker sees them as less of an eyesore and more of an opportunity. Emblematic of both the New York lifestyle and Chamberlain’s eye for fun statement pieces, the pigeon plays a crucial role in the campaign by immediately catching the audience’s attention with its unconventionality. After all, why would you intentionally add New York’s least favorite animal (second only to the rat) to an ad if the goal is to promote product sales? After the initial hook, viewers discover that the video advertisements reveal pigeons to be rather interesting and surprising, staying true to Chamberlain’s personal brand.
Showbiz Appeal
Image Courtesy: Warby Parker
The video ad campaign, which debuted on Warby Parker’s various social media accounts, features Chamberlain wearing her signature Warby Parkers and playing the role of a highly opinionated casting agent. One by one, hopeful pigeons enter her auditions, and she gives them various stage directions, asks about past projects they’ve been a part of, and ultimately rejects all but one particularly talented pigeon. The ironic and sarcastic tone of the ads is directed at the film industry in LA, and adds a level of playfulness and whimsy to the campaign that perfectly ties Emma’s hometown and sense of humor into the campaign. Chamberlain’s primary audience are young women who are deeply engaged with various types of media, and this appeal to life in Hollywood is aimed at expanding the Warby Parker consumer base into an even younger and more hip crowd. Most Warby wearers today are millennials aged 25-34, but by partnering with a young influencer like Chamberlain, the brand opens up a new range of potential buyers.
Luxury Quality, Functional Cost
Warby Parker’s innovative and fashionable designs pair perfectly with Chamberlain’s personal brand, but what about their price point? Warby Parkers are a notoriously affordable eyewear option, which already appeals to the younger Gen-Z sector of Chamberlain’s fans, but it’s also necessary to account for the luxury consumer portion of her followers. Two of Chamberlain’s most prominent brand endorsements to date have been with Levi’s denim and Louis Vuitton, both of which attracted wealthier luxury consumers to her fanbase and significantly diversified the economic status of her audience. Through the Warby Parker partnership, Chamberlain’s luxury consumer fans will gain exposure to a fashionable eyewear brand that they’ve likely never heard of, and her younger audience will recognize the affordable frames and appreciate Chamberlain’s understanding of the average teenager’s budget (despite her being a mega mogul). This two-pronged audience objective shows that as a brand, Warby Parker is able to walk the line between high-end accessories and everyday necessities because of their accessibility and consumer-driven business model.
Fashion that Gives Back
Image Courtesy: Warby Parker
Warby Parker emphasizes their “Buy a Pair, Give a Pair” program. For every pair of frames purchased on the website, Warby Parker donates a pair of glasses to someone in need. Fashion and affordability aren’t the only values at the core of the Warby Parker brand; their main claim to fame is alleviating impaired vision to improve people’s quality of life. Boosting visibility for this amazing program while also bringing an influencer down to earth by associating her with a great cause creates a symbiosis in this collaboration that not only benefits both entities involved, but generally benefits society as a whole.
It’s Digital!
Image Courtesy: Warby Parker
Image Courtesy: Warby Parker
Like many of the most buzz-worthy ad campaigns in recent years, the Emma x Warby collaboration launched largely online and in social media format. The dominance of digital advertising has taken over the market, and by utilizing videos, Instagram posts, and banner ads on popular online publications, Warby and Chamberlain are both able to effectively reach their tech-savvy and hip target audiences. However, the reach of the campaign isn’t limited to just posts online. NYC pop ups by Warby Parker were created specifically to market Chamberlain’s product line, and radio-style ads will appear on Chamberlain’s own podcast to further promote the collaboration.
Overall, this original and unconventional campaign features ads that entice viewers with their quirkiness and trend awareness. Chamberlain’s spin on classic Warby Parker frames serves to further redefine her personal style and keep her in touch with what’s trending in the fashion industry, while bringing Warby Parker to the forefront of high fashion through association with her brand.
Tatum Hennessy