In episode 368 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Brendan Lokes, brand media manager at Carhartt, a manufacturer of premium clothing and workwear known for exceptional durability, comfort, quality and fit. Lokes discusses why Carhartt has formed a partnership with Snapchat and Bitmoji (0:48), how the brand listened to customer demand for Carhartt gear among users of these platforms (3:20), and the experience for users outfitting virtual avatars with branded pieces (4:32). He details the collaboration required across departments at Carhartt to stand up the digital collection (6:43), as well as the timeline and product strategy for a virtual product launch (9:54).

In addition, Lokes discusses the marketing strategy for promoting the Snapchat and Bitmoji partnership (11:27), what Carhartt is monitoring to measure the success of its first virtual collection (14:25), and the products garnering the most demand so far (16:10). Lastly, he shares how Carhartt listens to consumer feedback online to inform product design and in-store offerings (17:39), and how the brand is using this trial partnership to evaluate future digital and virtual initiatives (19:08).