More than a stunt than a traditional ad campaign, Payless proves that designer footwear doesn’t always come at a designer price. The budget shoe brand created a faux Palessi shop in Santa Monica to showcase their wares. The social media fashion influencers in attendance were then asked their opinion of Palessi’s designs. Citing quality and workmanship, some influencers offered to pay hundreds of dollars for what they thought were designer shoes. Within hours, “Palessi” sold over $3,000 worth of product – at up to an 1800% markup.

Founded in 1956, Payless has long been synonymous with affordable footwear. Challenging the perception that affordability and quality are mutually exclusive, “Palessi” posits that Payless’ latest designs are on par with those of top designers. After revealing the origin of the shoes on display to shocked influencers, Payless promptly returned buyers’ money. Others in the know might not have been quite so surprised: after all, New York Fashion Week attendees are very likely to visit Payless stores.

By targeting consumers based on where they go in the real world, Payless can efficiently reach people with their advertising message. Gravy’s ‘Fashion Shopper’ audience is a great choice for Payless to connect with people that are in-market for new footwear and accessories. The audience includes consumers recently observed at stores across the U.S. – including high-end venues like Neiman Marcus, and competitive discount chains like DSW and Famous Footwear.

Pro Tip: Explore all Gravy Audiences and search by keyword with the Gravy Audience Finder.

By understanding customers’ interests, habits and life stages, Payless can better serve their retail shoppers. Knowing that their customers are ‘Fashion Shoppers’, ‘Athletes’ or ‘New/Expectant Parents’ can inform new product lines, shoe designs and store inventory. This information can also be used to personalize ads and sales events, to pinpoint co-marketing opportunities, or to design loyalty programs that engage their customers.

Payless’ in-store and online experience is customer-driven and self-service, with an emphasis on customer service and quality products. Location intelligence can help Payless measure consumer response to ad campaigns, whether they engage with the brand online, offline or both. Location data-powered attribution studies give new insight into consumer response to ads – capturing not just click-throughs but store visits. In this way, Payless can better measure the impact of its ad campaigns both online and in its stores.

Want to learn how you can use location intelligence to reach the right consumers and drive campaign performance? Contact us today.