Starting Strong: A Homecoming Retail Reset

Gen Z doesn’t just buy school spirit—they buy identity, relatability, and aesthetic.

Pro Tip: Build a campaign that feels like them.

The Context

Homecoming is one of the most pivotal retail moments of the year, and the USC Purple Store needed a campaign that truly resonated with Gen Z’s style, preference, and campus culture. To stand out, we created a trend-forward, insight-backed merch collection and a content strategy that captured student attention and desire to purchase.

What We Did

We anchored the Homecoming Merch Campaign around three core objectives:

Differentiate the USC Purple Store through trend-aligned, student-centric designs
Reinforce brand identity among incoming students during a peak retail moment
Increase sales performance and social engagement through a cohesive, Gen Z–focused launch

I led the project end to end — from research and merch design to creative direction, photoshoots, content production, ambassador activation, and full campaign rollout.

We introduced a fresh, culturally relevant merch collection shaped by student insights, executed lifestyle and product shoots, built a social-first content strategy, and hosted on-campus pop-ups leveraging the ambassador team to build momentum.

Campaign Impacts

Sold Out

multiple designs across the collection within 3 weeks

1.7× Increase

in Homecoming sales compared to last year

$7014.80

sales made over 14 days

Retail Marketing & Merch Strategy