Esprit “Semi-Nude” Event Draws Thousands
Esprit last week staged a “semi-naked” event for the grand opening of a New York store, drawing thousands of people.
Marketing agency The Rice Co. staged the “Love It and Leave It” promotion, which took place both inside and outside the new 34th Street store. Anyone who attended the event could try on an Esprit outfit and if they decided they loved the new clothes more than what they were wearing they were given the outfit as a gift. Some 300 people received a free outfit. The clothes they left behind were donated to the Salvation Army.
Another 4,000 people who tried on clothes were given a $20 gift card.
About 40,000 invitations were delivered driving 11,000 people to the store. Street teams in the vicinity of the event handed out some invites to specific people and businesses. Others were sent by mail to subscribers based on Zip code to three magazines Esprit advertises in: El, Marie Claire and Lucky, as well as 700 influencers.
About 120 brave people changed their clothes in dressing rooms in the store windows, while models and some 100 members of the public used the streets as a dressing room. Hundreds of people stopped to watch the spectacle.
“It is hard to stand out in this city, and our goal was to make sure this was not just another New York store opening. I think we definitely achieved that,” Beth Rice, the founder of The Rice Co, said.
Hundreds of people lined up outside the store hours before the opening. The program was supported with print and outdoor advertising. The Esprit Web site received 4,683 hits.
A video of the event is making the rounds on YouTube and Facebook.
