Digital channel Dave has installed a branded Man Chair in fifteen Burton stores (for my overseas readers, Burton is a young menswear chain that’s like Topshop for boys, only less cool and with more suits). The Man Chair comes complete with an integrated tablet where shoppers can watch clips of Dave’s content like Red Dwarf.
pic from brandrepublic
The tie-up is a really good fit for Dave, capturing their target audience in leisure mode and in a complimentary branded environment. But I’m not sure that it’s such a good fit for Burton. With my menswear-retailer’s-daughter hat on, it looks like something that a) takes up valuable shop floor space without doing anything at all to shift stock or even increase product range awareness and b) increases dwell time in store while taking the customer’s mind entirely off buying (or even trying on) anything.
It looks like Burton have placed the chairs in some of their larger stores, so the percentage of floor space lost will be relatively small, but unless Dave have paid incredibly handsomely for the privilege, I still think they’re going to come off best of the two brands out of this partnership.
Hello there Gemma. I read your post over at Leeds Grub so I decided to have a look here.
Regarding the ‘Man Chair’, I’d say it was in the wrong store. Should be round the corner in TopShop if you ask me.
Keep up the good work, all the best, Michael Green.
I think Dave is probably a bit too old in demographic for TopMan, and probably not fashionable enough. I’m not sure it’s right for Burton either, but I think it would be wrong for TopMan.
I would disagree here as the Dave Man Chair not only provides a point of difference for Burton but encourages consideration of the Burton brand by men through their association with the Dave channel. I’ve actually sat in a Man Chair myself when out shopping with my partner and felt that it really added buzz and interest to the shop floor. The Dave and Burton target audiences are extremely well aligned and the tablet application also showcases Burton’s latest range via their brand ambassador Amir Khan. I’ve also seen the partnership promoted on air by the channel so it’s a great way for Burton to receive TV exposure whilst also drawing in new and existing customers via an engaging and interactive experience