OVERVIEW
Type: Experiential Activation
Brand: Men’s Wearhouse
In-Market Dates: March 2017
Target Audience: Male Teens Ages 16-18YO and High Schools (Administrators and Teachers)
BUSINESS PROBLEM
Men’s Wearhouse was the largest tuxedo rental and men’s formalwear retailer in the country. However, year over year, the brand was losing prom share to smaller local competitors who could nimbly undercut pricing, offer better promotional deals, and visit local high schools to distribute collateral and discounts.
INSIGHT
The unfortunate reality is that too many schools across the country are struggling with budget constraints and a lack of adequate funding. Yet, despite these challenges, most high schools still tried to give their Juniors and Seniors a memorable send-off through prom. As a result, school administrators tended to be very receptive to partnering with retailers who would provide fundraising opportunities, organize fun and free events (i.e., pep rallies and fashion shows), and offer exclusive discounts and promotions to help their students save money.
For prom-going teens, renting or purchasing a tux or suit was usually the last detail to be ironed out — with most teens finalizing their look just a week before the big night. And because prom was typically the first time young men would be donning formalwear, they were confused and intimidated by the shopping process.
SOLUTION
After analyzing the business results and marketing performance of Men’s Wearhouse’s previous prom campaigns, I realized that we needed a more engaging and compelling way to gain access to schools and their students. So, after initiating an in-depth RFP process, I hired Fuse, an East Coast boutique creative agency whose wheelhouse is Gen Z and Millennial strategy, to help me develop and execute a new, disruptive experiential activation for prom.
The “MW Prom Fitting Tour” was essentially a traveling pop-up store that visited local high schools and teen hot spots (bowling alleys, malls, etc.) in Men’s Wearhouse’s most critical prom markets. The tour's goals were focused on increasing tuxedo rental bookings, promoting Men’s Wearhouse’s unique prom programs, generating local media buzz, and combating competitive activity. At each of the 20 tour stops, teens could check out Men’s Wearhouse’s tux and suit styles in person, get measured, and rent their prom look right on the spot.
The tour not only brought Men’s Wearhouse’s tux rental process to teens’ own stomping grounds, but also treated them to a fun afternoon. With a sleek and gleaming airstream, 20x20 tented style lounge, free food and refreshments, games and giveaways, photo booth activity, and a custom Men’s Wearhouse-branded Snapchat geo-filter, the tour was an impressive, unique, and unexpected brand experience for a new generation of prospective customers (ones who generally had an entirely different and not so positive perception of their “dad’s store”).
RESULT
The MW Prom Fitting Tour was a hit among our high school audiences, and helped us mitigate competitive pressures by recapturing rental units in our most vulnerable prom markets. By giving teens a fun, easy, and convenient way to rent their prom look, the tour not only generated incremental prom reservations, but also helped Men’s Wearhouse’s local stores build and nurture relationships with school administrators that guaranteed future access (and business) in the years to follow.