Old Navy Returns to Kitsch with SuperModelquins

Anyone that hasn’t been skipping commercials on TV might have come across the new Old Navy spots that feature fashionable mannequins. While most mannequins typically have a creepy factor, Old Navy’s spin on these characters seems to be making them energetic fashion models. The faces teeter on the edge of attractive and cartoony. Each SuperModelquin has a back story and aspirations to become a fashion icon.

Not since Vogue editor, Carrie Donovan, and Magic the dog has Old Navy gone this kitschy. The big push for the campaign is the company’s return to a family demographic. For the past several years, Old Navy has been marketing to 20-somethings, in hopes of tapping into a younger market. With the economic downturn, they’ve decided to switch gears. Tom Wyatt, president of Old Navy, identified their customer in a recent USA Today article:

“We got away from our target customer,” says Tom Wyatt, Old Navy president. “We spent most of 2008 getting our target consumer right. Then we (developed) product that we thought was appropriate for the target customer.”

The target is a mom named “Jenny” who’s 25 to 35 years old (Jennifer was a popular name for that age group). Jenny shops on a budget, but doesn’t want her apparel or that of her family to be frumpy.”

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