Posted on 11/30/2018 7:34:37 AM PST by rickmichaels
Payless Shoesource pranked VIP shoppers into paying markups of up to 1,800 percent for the bargain retailer's shoes as part of a viral advertising campaign designed to shift consumers' perceptions of the brand. Creating a fake luxury brand — Palessi — Payless built a temporary store and filled it with fashionistas.
So-called fashion influencers – essentially trendsetters that regular consumers look to for style cues — paid up to $645 for footwear that usually retails for between $19.99 and $39.99, the company said. The fashion insiders were captured remarking on the quality of the shoes' design and fabrication – before being told who had made them.
"It's just stunning. Elegant, sophisticated," one shopper said of a stiletto heel at the fake store's launch party.
"I can tell it was made with high-quality material," said a man perusing a pair of leather sneakers.
Payless enlisted advertising agency DCX Growth Accelerator to create the fake luxury store — replete with a statue and gold mannequins — and invited 60 influencers, recruited from the street and social media, to the made-up brand's launch party last month in Los Angeles, California.
Shoppers were told they'd receive between $100 and $250 in compensation to attend a market research event at an upscale mall in Santa Monica.
DCX Chief Creative Officer Doug Cameron said he played around with the letters in Payless to produce other store name contenders, including Elypass, which he said sounded like "a hipster store you might find in Brooklyn." Ultimately the agency decided to piggyback off the cachet of Italian design.
"We said let's give the campaign a handle, something creative that will be stickier, that an upscale retailer would really do," Cameron said. "I went on Wikipedia and looked up a list of Italian family names and saw Alessi, and added a 'P' to that. We also created a website around Palessi because we figured people would Google it."
Influencers were stunned upon learning the shoes were from Payless.
"Shut up! Are you serious?!" a shopper exclaims in one of three spots that will air on cable networks through the holiday season.
The shoppers got their money back, but were allowed to keep the shoes.
Sarah Couch, Payless's chief marketing officer, said the campaign aimed to remind shoppers that Payless strikes the right balance of stylistic relevance and affordability.
Cameron said the intention was to bring the brand back to its roots of appealing to the pragmatic American consumer. He said Payless had recently gone off track in an era of "aspiration inflation."
"We interviewed all these consumers who said they loved great styles but resented the elite prices that people would pay for industry fashion brands. We had an interesting opportunity to take a cultural position and said, 'Let's have Payless gently make fun of all of that and go back to this pragmatist position in culture.' That seems to have tapped a nerve."
He said the stunt indicates how powerful branding is in today's society. "The right cultural codes can completely transform the perceived value of just about anything," he said.
We used to use a cobbler when I was a kid. He taught me how to buy shoes. I have one custom pair of boots. They are very well made, fit perfectly, can be worn in the muck or for dress, cost a bleep of a lot, and are worth every penny. I also have some men’s footwear. Very comfy and better made than ladies shoes. I think guys are less likely to put up with flimsy footwear.
I also take excellent care of my footwear. I got that habit, along with my huge feet, from my late dad. :-)
Okay, now I know two things.
1. Americans aren’t the only people who can be duped by a slick ad campaign.
2. What a hypermarket is.
I agree. I like high end. I know high end. And I will guarantee you I would know a pair of Payless shoes. When I was young and broke I shopped there. They were crap.
It works for the Democrats!
A fool and his money...
This is the same psychopathy that gave us 98 human "genders."
That is how the Kardasians make money.
The 6 media companies that own most media put someone on tv and on the covers of magazines and promote promote promote.
Britney Spears, Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift have made mega millions and they cannot sing at all. They are a brand.
As for singing does anyone know any of their songs?
All computer generated.
Payless must be owned by a democrat it’s their style.
Pretentiousness will come back to bite you.
Haha. So right!
Absolutely! And even clothes, you can tell immediately in fabrics and cut and construction. It’s just blatantly apparent. Hey and I don’t like paying those high prices. I loved when I could luck out and find stealer deals on the high end stuff. Doesn’t happen often but it does happen. ;^)
Works in politics really well too
I shop high end at the outlet stores. Saks Off Fifth. Neiman Marcus Last Call. etc. If you visit often and hit clearance sales you can get some pretty good bargains. I also buy off The Real Real dot com. I have gotten some really good deals off there. They absolutely authenticate everything unlike some other sites like Poshmark. I found an LV bag on there for $300 that I recently received. Barely used but of course from about 10 years ago line. I have a super nice pair of Manolo Blahniks I bought for $150 from there. Wearing them to a Christmas Party Saturday night. Have a pair of Prada wedge sandals I bought from there in August to wear to Phantom of the Opera in San Diego.....$40. ;)
The deals are around. You just have to find them.
[He said the stunt indicates how powerful branding is in today’s society. “The right cultural codes can completely transform the perceived value of just about anything,” he said.]
Including political candidates.
People are so stupid and gullible. Is it any wonder they would support Obama and Hillary. Is it any wonder that they are buy the idea that socialism is great?
What is really bad about this is that payless shoes are at the bottom of the barrow in terms of quality. I bought them a few times and they hurt my feet. The bottoms actually crushed in an uneven way. Then they would just fall apart within 3 months. Total junk.
The ‘more money than brains’ posers...
The shoppers got their money back, but were allowed to keep the shoes.
Palessi
BRILLIANT!!!!
I ***LOVE*** it.
Pretentious snobs.
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