Payless opened a fake pop up luxury store “Palessi” and invited social media influencers to trick them into buying their $20-$40 shoes for over ten times the price. The plan worked! The influencers believed they were buying luxury shoes and even were willing to be interviewed about their purchase. Many commented on the material and style of the shoe and how it was worth the money. Imagine their surprise when they found out their shoes can be bought at Payless. This Payless PR stunt immediately found success.
Brand perception is important, Payless is known for their low prices, but low prices can also make a consumer perceive items as cheap and low in quality as well. What Payless did was to prove that despite a low price their items are high quality and modern. Additionally, it played on the power of branding utilizing everything from the fancy venue, name, pricing and invitees to create an illusion of a high-quality brand. Within the QSR space, lower prices don’t necessarily mean low quality items, this is where branding becomes an important factor. This is not limited to Marketing, but it can extend to venue, employees and service. As the QSR becomes crowded, branding becomes key to differentiate from the others.
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