On February 22, direct-to-consumer cashmere brand Naadam posted a series of four Instagram posts poking fun at competitor Quince. Quince, which sells cashmere apparel, among other things, markets its pricing directly in comparison to brands including Naadam, Naked Cashmere and J.Crew, spotlighting its own $50 styles. Naadam’s meme-ified posts, in response to Quince’s marketing, were a stark departure from its more typical Instagram aesthetic which showcases its apparel.
“We’ve seen this brand, Quince, use our name in their marketing. I don’t know if it’s illegal, but I know that it is strange. I know that it’s frowned upon. … Marketer-to-marketer, you generally try not to do that. … It does cross a line,” said Matt Scanlan, co-founder and CEO of Naadam, regarding the impetus for the micro-campaign, which lasted a day and a half last week. It encompassed the Instagram posts, but also a homepage takeover, email marketing and some paid performance marketing, Scanlan said, adding, “It was [just] a one-shot deal. It’s not our whole marketing message.”
That said, the only goal for the campaign, rather than to drive sales or even brand awareness, was just “to have fun,” Scanlan said. The brand was not promoting a new product, and the budget was zero dollars. Scanlan laughed as he reported that his graphic design team, which usually works in Adobe, made the memes on PowerPoint.
While speaking about seeing Naadam’s name in an increasing amount of Quince’s marketing, Scanlan reported thinking, “OK, I don’t love this. I don’t think it’s the worst thing in the world, but I do feel like they’re opening a door for me to maybe do something.” He wasn’t particularly concerned that Quince was taking sales or customers from Naadam. While Quince’s cashmere sweaters start at $50 and top out at $150, Naadam’s start at $98 and go all the way up to $475. Because of that difference, the customer is likely different, Scanlan said. Still, he decided, “Let’s make fun of them a little bit.”
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After all, he said, “If you’ve watched Naadam’s marketing over the years, we do things I think are funny.” He referenced a general brand campaign early in the brand’s life — Naadam launched in 2015 — in which it plastered posters throughout Manhattan of goats having sex. “I remember one time I came out to look at one of the posters in the West Village. And I saw that people in the neighborhood [had] come out with a Sharpie and written, ‘This is gross, take this down.’ And then, when I came back a day later, I saw that other people had come out with a Sharpie, adding, ‘No, this is funny. … You could take a joke.’ And I [thought], ‘This is the best.’ We’re just having fun and starting a conversation,” Scanlan said of the company’s particular brand of humor.
The goal here was much the same, Scanlan said, although responses were mixed. Comments included approval and affirmation: “I have both [brands’ sweaters] and I’ll be honest – I sort of wish I had spent those dollars at Naadam instead. Two Naadam and love them both.” And, “Naadam is far superior. I have purchased both and went straight back for @naadam.co.” But there was also confusion and a rejection of Naadam’s concept. One user wrote, “Why are you advertising Quince? I never ordered from them or heard of them but now I’m gonna go over and check them out since they’re less expensive. Weird flex.” Another user wrote, “Take the high road. This isn’t a good look.”
Quince did not respond to Naadam’s posts, which Scanlan was openly disappointed about. “I was hoping that it provoked them to do something back — again, in good fun. Maybe they thought we were more serious than we were.”
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While the goal may have been pure fun, it also wound up drawing eyes and sales to Naadam. Site traffic during the week Naadam shared the posts on its Instagram was up 43% year-over-year, and sales were up 47%.
When Glossy reached out to Quince for comment, the company provided the following statement: “We at Quince are laser-focused on continuing to deliver the highest quality of affordable luxury basics while challenging the idea that nice things have to cost a lot. Part of our brand ethos is to educate consumers and empower them to make the best purchasing decisions.”
To that, Scanlan said, “I’m happy being on the record saying that that’s the most boring response I’ve ever seen.”
