Primark launches first US brand campaign

Value fashion and lifestyle retailer Primark, which has been steadily expanding in the US in recent years, has launched its first-ever brand awareness campaign in the country.

Primark, a well-known staple in the UK and Europe, has partnered with creative agency VCCP to launch its ‘That’s So Primark’ campaign to raise awareness for its fashion at value prices as it works towards its target ambition of opening 60 stores in the US by 2026.

Until now, Primark has primarily relied on word-of-mouth to attract consumers, the new campaign aims to educate Americans on what it means to be "so Primark,” and invite them to “fall in love with Primark's value, quality and style”.

Michelle McEttrick, global chief customer officer at Primark, said in a statement: "Across Europe, Primark is known as the place to shop for people who want to look good and feel good, without breaking the bank.

"Primark is still relatively unknown in the US, so we want to spread the word to savvy shoppers that they don't need to sacrifice style if they're on a budget. Whether they're looking for head-turning statement pieces, or everyday wardrobe essentials, we want to give American consumers the chance to fall in love with their closet over and over again."

Primark targeting 60 stores in the US

Primark currently has 25 stores in the US, with key locations in Boston, Brooklyn, New Jersey, Chicago, and Texas, with its next to open at The Florida Mall in Orlando, Florida on August 29, followed by the retailer’s first store in the state of Michigan at Great Lakes Crossing Outlets in Auburn Hills on September 12.

The retailer also opened a second US distribution centre in Jacksonville, Florida this year to serve its expansion in the Southern states.

On the retailer’s expansion in the country, Kevin Tulip, president of Primark US, said in 2023: "Primark has been in the US since we opened in Boston in 2015, but when I look back at the past year, I'm incredibly proud of the exponential growth we've achieved.

"This was never about opening as many stores as quickly as possible, it was about opening in the right locations, with the right store layout and product offering, for the communities we are entering. We learned a lot in those early years about what sparks "Primania" for US shoppers and we are finding that our value pricing across women's, men's, kids, home, and gifts, have kept American families coming back to us time and time again."

Primark boosting brand awareness in the US with new ‘That’s So Primark’ campaign

The campaign is rooted in two films, the first ‘Window with a View,’ shows alternating close-ups of women peering into the Primark store admiring the fashion. The second film, titled ‘Fall Again,’ shows a woman shopping in a Primark store spinning around the aisles in a striped sweater selecting items that she loves.

The ‘That’s So Primark’ campaign will go live across connected TV, digital, social, radio, and out-of-home media.

Brett Edgar, chief executive of VCCP US, added: "Primark is unlike any other shopping experience, and it's about time more US shoppers got a taste of that.

"We wanted to show American consumers what the hype is all about across the pond, and that they don't have to settle during their shopping experience. It's all about falling in love with the brand and its unique products again and again."

Owned by Associated British Foods, Primark is an international fashion retailer employing more than 80,000 colleagues across 17 countries in Europe and the US. It sells women’s, men’s and kids’ fashion, beauty, homeware and accessories. Currently, Primark has more than 445 stores globally and aims to reach 530 stores by the end of 2026.