By ANNE D'INNOCENZIO Associated Press found at miami.com
Starting this fall, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen -- the twin actresses-turned
merchandising moguls -- will have some young celebrity company in store aisles.
Eighteen-year-old actress and singer Hilary Duff and 13-year-olds Dylan and
Cole Sprouse -- twin actors and heartthrobs for the prepubescent set -- aim to
mimic the success of the mary-kateandashley brand, with plans to bombard stores
with a host of products from clothing to home decor.
Experts say they expect plenty of other young copycats hoping to turn their
celebrity status into merchandising power among preteens and teens, as did the
now 20-year-old Olsen twins, who parlayed their star power into a reportedly
billion-dollar international brand, spanning cosmetics to clothing and rugs.
''Success breeds competition,'' said Marshal Cohen, chief analyst at market
research firm NPD Group. ``Everyone is going after what appears to be a
successful formula.''
Duff, who shot to fame as the title character of the TV series Lizzie
McGuire, will come out this fall with products aimed at preteen girls. The
merchandise, from clothing to room decor, will sell under the label Stuff by
Hilary Duff in discounters like Wal-Mart and such mid-tier stores as Kohl's.
The launch comes 10 months after Duff became CEO and head designer of her own
fashion and lifestyle company. To help secure her footing, she hired Robert
Thorne, the Olsens' former manager -- and until early last year the CEO of the
Olsens' entertainment business -- to spearhead her merchandising empire. The
goal -- to generate retail sales worldwide of more than $1 billion in two and
half years, according to Thorne.
''Mary-Kate and I are proud we have paved the way for others and wish
everyone as much success as we continue to have,'' wrote Ashley Olsen, in an
e-mail.
Meanwhile, the Sprouse brothers, who star in the Disney Channel's The
Suite Life of Zack & Cody, are targeting their merchandise at preteen
and teen boys, with a new magazine called Sprouse Bros. Code, which hit news
stands this month.
The Olsens themselves are expanding their own brand. This year, the twins
expanded their accessories, cosmetics and jewelry offerings with Claire's
Stores. Linens 'n Things carries rugs under their label.
Celebrity marketing is nothing new. A parade of celebrities are designing
clothes and marketing fragrances, from Jessica Simpson to Jennifer Lopez, but
their audience focuses on the 20- to 30-something age group.
Duff and the Sprouse twins are teens building merchandising empires aimed at
their young peers, an age group where celebrity power is more influential than
among adults.
According to a recent NPD survey of 3,500 consumers, 57 percent of the
13-to-18 age group polled said their purchases are influenced by celebrities or
endorsements by celebrities, compared to just 21 percent of overall consumers.
It's a lucrative market: According to NPD, for the year that ended May 2006,
apparel sales rose 7.4 percent to $12 billion among the 7-to-12 age group and
13.9 percent to $25 billion for ages 13-to-17.
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