Clothing line Show Me Your MuMu is successfully showing its “MuMu” to the world. Show Me Your MuMu reinvented the “muumuu” and entered the fashion world as a fresh, fun and more hipster Lilly Pulitzer. Through its thorough branding efforts, the clothing line is selling more than just flowing, flowery outfits — it’s selling a lifestyle.
By definition, branding is the marketing practice of creating a name, symbol or design that identifies and differentiates a product from other products. According to Entrepreneur “Your brand is derived from who you are, who you want to be and who people perceive you to be.” Cologne Schmidt and Cammy Herbert, the entrepreneurs and designers behind Show Me Your MuMu, went above and beyond to distinguish their line by fashioning a “Whole MU World.”
Show Me Your MuMu defines its brand in its mission statement: “MuMu is not simply a garment, it is a lifestyle. Spontaneous. Fun. Easy going. Unique. Versatile. Imaginative. Well-traveled. Make-believe. Gold, silver, and bronze worn together. Feathers and jewels. Explorers and inventors. It all encompasses the mumu, and a way of life.”
Ultimately, Schmidt and Herbert succeeded in branding Show Me Your MuMu because they understood their target audience — women just like them. From the clothes themselves to its “Social Mu-dia,” Show Me Your MuMu consistently embodies its unique brand in all that it does.
Traditionally, a muumuu is a loose-hanging, brightly colored or patterned dress worn by Hawaiian women. Schmidt and Herbert were vacationing in Miami when they saw a need for a new and improved muumuu. The reinvented mumu “needed to be baggy and short, flattering and girly, but not so much as to swallow you whole.” The women dreamed of an effortlessly chic and versatile staple that could be worn anywhere and everywhere, and that’s just what they designed. Now, the clothing line is recognized by its bold, colorful prints. From bohemian to nautical, Show Me Your MuMu has a print to fit every woman’s style.
Show Me Your MuMu ingeniously integrates its brand name into its promotional language. For instance, the clothing line’s social media tab on its website is labeled “Social Mu-dia” and its YouTube channel is titled “Show Me Your MuTube.” Using these play on words is a clever way of reemphasizing the brand name.
Show Me Your MuMu uses “Social Mu-dia” to promote and share the story behind the clothes. Its social media presence encourages customer engagement and loyalty. An example is Show Me Your MuMu promotes a “MuMu Monday Giveaway” on Instagram. The competition encourages followers to share a photograph of themselves adorned in their favorite MuMu outfit for a chance to win goodies. Additionally, the brand frequently portrays its passion for travel and adventure in its Instagram posts by using #mumutravels.
Likewise, Show Me Your MuMu uses its Show Me Your MuTube channel to share photo-shoot footage and showcase its latest collection. The most recent videos are titled Sweet Home Amurica, Mumu Canyon, Mufari and A Whole Mu World. By featuring fun-loving, fashionable women enjoying the styles of Show Me Your MuMu, instead of your typical super model, the MuTube videos visually reflect the brand’s mission statement.
The line also uses Pinterest, and Tumblr to share styling ideas with its followers. The Show Me Your MuMu Pinterest page flaunts a collection of boards dedicated to the lifestyle of the brand. A few of my favorite board titles include “Festival Stylin,” “Printspriation,” and “Just Landed.”
Show Me Your MuMu hasn’t been around for long, but fashion-loving women from all over are buying into the inspirational MuMu lifestyle one mumu at a time.
About Mary Kathryn Woods
Mary Kathryn is a writer and editor for Platform Online Magazine, The University of Alabama’s student-run online publication funded by the Plank Center for Leadership and Public Relations. Mary Kathryn is a senior at The University of Alabama pursuing a bachelor’s degree in public relations with a minor in general business. She also works on the media relations committee for Capstone Agency, UA’s student-run integrated communications firm. Connect with Mary Kathryn on Twitter.
Photo Credit: Show Me Your MuMu
