Brief:
- Fashion rental service Rent the Runway (RTR) partnered with Jonathan Van Ness, one of the stars of Netflix's "Queer Eye," on a social and charitable campaign, according to a statement shared with Mobile Marketer. The Fairy Godmother Challenge urges women to nominate other women who deserve of a year of Rent the Runway Unlimited, the brand's monthly clothing subscription service.
- To enter the contest, participants can post a photo of a friend or family member at the @renttherunway account on Instagram and use the hashtag #FairyGodmothered, along with a caption that explains why their nominee should win. The contest runs through Dec. 20.
- For every nomination, RTR will make a donation to Dress for Success, a global nonprofit that gives professional attire to low-income women. Nominees will be announced every week on RTR's Instagram Story, and 100 winners will be notified via direct message.
Insight:
RTR's Fairy Godmother Challenge captures the spirit of giving during the holiday season while also promoting the brand with a campaign that has the power to go viral on Instagram, as the "closet in the cloud" company has more than 8 million members and 252,000 followers on Instagram. As of press time, RTR's Instagram Story featuring Van Ness' announcement of the contest had been viewed more than 22,000 times.
The brand is the latest to team with "one-man meme machine" Van Ness. Diageo brand Smirnoff enlisted the celebrity for its "Welcome to the Fun%" campaign, and Hotels.com partnered with him on a four-episode docuseries for on the brand's YouTube channel.
RTR this year has worked to expand its reach and provide greater convenience to on-the-go customers. The company last month partnered with shared office space company WeWork to put clothing return boxes in 15 locations nationwide, per Business Insider. RTR shoppers can stop by a WeWork lobby to return their rentals instead of shipping them back.
The fashion rental service last month also introduced the RTR Platform to help more brands participate in the rental economy. J.Crew, Levi's and Ralph Lauren were among the first 39 brands to join. RTR forecasts that items from the program will account for nearly 25% of the company's total inventory. The online clothing rental market is set to nearly double from $1 billion in 2017 to $1.9 billion globally by 2023, according to Allied Market Research.
