By Katja Schroeder, Expedition PR
During two New York tech events – Ingenuity and TechWeek New York – Warby Parker executives presented a compelling case study for PR.
Warby Parker carefully crafted the positioning of a socially responsible lifestyle brand that offers beautiful designed glasses at a great value and with wonderful customer experience.
When the company first launched out of one of the founder’s homes in February 2010, it invested in three things: a gorgeous website, customer service and PR.
The company hired a fashion PR firm to arrange meetings with top-tier lifestyle media editors to share the Warby Parker story and showcase the company’s first line of glasses.
The first stories appeared in GQ and Vogue. Afterwards, the company was flooded with customer orders. Warby Parker met its sales goals within three years, and had 20,000 customers on the waiting list.
The Vogue and GQ coverage trickled a continuous stream of articles in fashion and lifestyle media. And the business world took notice. Today, Warby Parker is a celebrated start-up success poster child.
For good reason. The company invested in marketing programs that create unique, and playful content that make people talk about the brand.
Since its powerful debut the company has executed a series of clever marketing programs that put the Warby Parker stamp on events and seasons, such as a Warby Parker tableau at the Public Library during Fashion Week, a pop-up store opening with yurts, and an April’s Fool Day website featuring models with dogs wearing Warby Parker glasses.