Millennials & Luxury Brands, Lessons From Harry Potter, Togetherville Splits

While not all luxury brands tap into the Millennial market, others make this a priority since they know Millennials’ opinions (and purchasing decisions matter. Whole Foods for example has effectively won over Gen Y with the brand’s welcoming and authentic attitude, and its commitment to educating consumers about products and where they come from. Rather than simply putting price stickers on the shelves, Whole Foods informs shoppers, which helps them rationalize paying the high prices. Other luxury brands, including accessories retailers like Rebecca Minkoff and Coach, are attracting Millennials with their savvy social media strategies. Plus, as flash sales catch on and retailers have a larger presence online, it makes sense more and more Millennials are purchasing luxury goods) (FastCoExist) (Forbes) (eMarketer)

Having grown up with the Harry Potter series, the stories hold a special spot in Millennials’ hearts, and JK Rowling’s tales taught fans valuable lessons (that undoubtedly shape their outlook today. This morning’s Twitter trending topic, #ThingsHarryPotterTaughtMe, reaffirms just how magical her stories are in conveying Millennial attitudes of optimism, happiness, and hope. Tweets like “happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, when one only remembers to turn on the light” is further proof of Harry Potter’s power. Speaking of Millennial’s favorite books, “The Hunger Games” is sure to be triumphant at the box office considering it’s already broken the record for the highest sales on the first day a film’s tickets become available, and hundreds of showings are already sold out. The world will indeed be watching on March 23^rd!) (LA Times)

We just learned that Togetherville, a social networking site for tweens, is shutting down (as of March 11, according to the site’s homepage. Disney purchased the site about a year ago and hasn’t given much of an explanation as to why it’s closing up shop, though it could be an attempt to drive Togetherville’s traffic to Disney-branded tween sites. In other Disney news, “The Lion King,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “The Muppets,” and more are headed to China now that The Walt Disney Company and You On Demand have signed a deal for Disney to bring many of its movies there as part of a Netflix-like subscription plan. See, it really is a small world after all! This news, however comes days after DreamWorks Animation declared it wants to become the Disney of China, which should make things interesting) (KLS) (Deadline) (CNBC)

Get ready for another outbreak of Bieber Fever (as Justin’s collaboration with The Far East Movement has hit the Web and is already receiving enormous buzz. The song titled “Live Your Life” is a party anthem that’s sure to cause a lot of fist-pumping! Note: it’s a lot more mature than Bieber’s typical tunes like “U Smile.” But besides this track, Bieber has new material of his own out in a few weeks and a second book in the works. What can’t this kid do?) (EW) (GalleyCat)

We’re excited for Odd Future’s Adult Swim show “Loiter Squad” to premiere next month (especially after seeing the latest previews for the program and the pranks they’ll pull. In other TV news, “Friday Night Lights” actress Aimee Teegarden just landed the lead in The CW’s “The Selection,” an upcoming show based on a Hunger Games-esque book series that’s set 300 years in the future. Between the program’s dystopian premise and the producers who hail from “The Vampire Diaries,” we think this is one show Millennials won’t want to miss!) (THR)

And now for a little Friday fun…(we’re laughing out loud hearing little kids’ predictions about the Oscar winners. It’s a good thing they can’t vote since they named “Dolphin Tale” and “Jack and Jill” as some of their favorite films of the year. And oh yea, Selena Gomez will nab Best Actress of the Year for sure!)

Lastly, a special thanks to all of our Twitter followers for helping us hit the 10k mark! We’ve more than doubled our following in the past year thanks to you! And if you aren’t following us already, be sure to add us at @Ypulse.