Reese Witherspoon's Big Little Marketing Disaster
Celebrity branding and good intentions collided in a disastrous way for Draper James, Reese Witherspoon's fashion label, the New York Times reports. And what started out very Elle Woods-sweet turned Tracy Flick-sour rather quickly.
The company, which Witherspoon started in 2015, is a lifestyle brand that put the Oscar-winning actress in creating a business empire similar to those of Gwyneth Paltrow and Jessica Alba.
The dress giveaway was initiated as an attempt to do something special for teachers during the coronavirus pandemic. It was idea endorsed by Ms. Witherspoon in a company press release praising teachers: "I wanted to show teachers a little extra love right now," she wrote.
And a sentiment echoed when the contest went live on the company's Instagram page on April 2:
"Dear Teachers: We want to say thank you. During quarantine, we see you working harder than ever to educate our children. To show our gratitude, Draper James would like to give teachers a free dress."
To qualify they had to apply by a form with a deadline. "Winners" would be notified and the offer was valid "while supplies last."
The next day, both "The Today Show" and "Good Morning America" had segments about the contest. It went viral and by "the close of the application period, Draper James had almost one million applications — which was approximately seven times the total number of dresses they had sold in 2019."
The five-year old company had less than 30 employees and only 250 dresses in six different styles to giveaway.
"We felt like we moved too quickly and didn't anticipate the volume of the response," said Marissa Cooley, the senior vice-president for brand marketing and creative at Draper James told the Times. "We were really overwhelmed. It was way more volume than the company had ever seen. We expected the single digit thousands."
The company told entrees that it was a raffle and posted the actual giveaway numbers, but it was too late for damage control. "All of a sudden the desire to help started to look like a cynical marketing ploy," writes the Times.
What added to the bad PR was that Draper James asked entrees "to submit both pictures of their school IDs and their work email addresses, which at once were clogged with multiple Draper James promotions, which didn't stop even after the dress raffle had been held. (Those who didn't win were offered a 30 percent discount, and the opportunity to unsubscribe.)"
Teachers, who have a median annual income of $59,670 are likely not going to be shopping for dresses on the Draper James site, a sentiment expressed by teacher Dina Ley in Twitter:
"Over Easter weekend, Draper James sent another letter to its applicants, stating that it was making a donation (the company declined to say how much) to a charity that supplies teachers with school necessities to send to their remote-learning students."
They also wrote of "actively working" on "expanding our offerings" with their website, retail stores and retail partners (who include Nordstrom's) "who were also inspired by your stories and want to join in honoring your community, and we ask for your patience while we organize this effort."
It also added a gigantic "unsubscribe" button to the email.
In addition to women's dresses and accessories, Draper James sells stationery and home d�cor online and in retail stores found in southern cities. When she launched the brand, Witherspoon wrote on the company's website that she hoped to recapture all that she loved about her grandparents and the South. The site's name comes from a combination of her grandparents' names: Dorothea Draper and Williams James Witherspoon. "With Draper James, our goal is to bring contemporary, yet timeless Southern style to your wardrobe and your home, no matter where you live," she wrote.
"But Witherspoon's foray into fashion is hardly a cheap celebrity collaboration," wrote a report on the Today Show website. "Prices are more high-end — the sterling silver Magnolia Bowl costs $400, a pair of stud earrings cost $100 and dresses start at $225."