It looks like some Spanish people have no modesty when it comes to getting free stuff. On January 4th, shoppers in Madrid waited overnight at outlet store Desigual in their underwear to gain a chance to receive free clothing. The promotion was offered to the first 100 people in line who arrived so scantily clad.
Well this is certainly a promotion that worked, in searching for details on this story, I found links to major news sites like Reuters and the Daily Mail UK, and the story was even reported in our Winnipeg Sun. (See link to the video on the Sun's website below.)
When it comes to pseudo-events, the newsworthiness of the event is a good barometer for how successful it may be. In the world of novelty, this story certainly takes the cake. There is also a human interest factor in that whenever you have a bunch of people running around in their underwear, in slightly chilly temperatures. According to BBC's weather website, the average temperature in Madrid in January is 9 degrees Celsius. No doubt the less than balmy temperature aided the story's legs, and drew media attention.
In the news story the reporter also mentions the fact that Spanish shoppers were cash strapped, no doubt due to their fledgling economy, and their current high unemployment rate of over 20% (Eurostat). This is a country where a mere two years ago the rate was around 10%. These economic conditions would certainly inspire retailers to come up with unique ways to get consumers to open their wallets.
Timeliness was also a factor in the draw for media attention, as the "boxing sale" season traditionally starts around January the 7th in Madrid, and according to the story, this Desigual store got the jump on the competition.
Had I lived in Madrid and heard about this ahead of time, would I have shown up in my underwear for some free designer brand clothes??? Heck yes!
Oh jeez. Imagine this in Winnipeg in January. Everyone's nips could be used as bloody chopsticks. It seems like this event wasn't planned as a pseudo-event and just so happened to become on for the rest of the world. Hmm, how do we make North Americans think we're less nuts? Let's run with the bulls. K, that didn't work. Let's stand outside in the dead of our winter in our skivvies. Bloody brilliant, excellent work, Antonio.
ReplyDeleteLOL no doubt!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that this was a good pseudo-event. Post-Christmas sales are a dime a dozen, but it's tough for local media to ignore a long line of people in their shorts in January.
ReplyDeleteMike's right, though - this would not be a good idea in Winnipeg!
Yeah, we are hard pressed to even find any polar bear clubs in this city!
ReplyDeleteThis takes some serious dedication to expensive clothes.
ReplyDeleteSometimes you gotta do what you gotta do t look good!
ReplyDelete