DIGO Brands Top Social Promotion in Adweek
Guerrilla Marketing’s Newest Revolution
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Adweek
January 11th 2010
Altruistic guerrilla marketing? Yep, just what the recession ordered.
Even for a discount retailer, it was a tough sell. The American workforce was drowning in an unemployment rate of 10 percent (counting those who were underemployed or only working part-time, it might have been closer to 20 percent). Money was tight, and good jobs were impossible to come by.
Bad time to be in the suit business.
But Syms, the 51-year-old clothing chain that sells sharply discounted designer menswear, had an idea. Last July, instead of trying to ignore the rotten job market, it decided it would help its customers to conquer it. The contest would benefit both the brand and the personal fortunes of the shoppers (or, at least those lucky enough to be selected). Syms decided to give away 30 high-end suits to people who were looking for work. Each winner would also receive a session with a career coach and even the attention of a personal stylist. “Suit Camp,” as it came to be known, was an unusual promotion with an altruistic bent; guerrilla meets humanitarianism.
“There is an altruistic aspect in the sense that Syms is giving away value,” explains Mark DiMassimo, CEO, DiMassimo Goldstein, the agency behind the effort. “But what they’re really doing is bonding. Read more…..