How Did A Red Bathing Suit Take Over The Internet?

Curiously, a red bathing suit took the Internet by storm yesterday. California based clothing company Sunny Co Clothing put a promotion on Instagram stating that if users shared their photo and tagged them within 24-hours they would receive a code for the $65 bathing suit pictured – for FREE.

I stumbled upon the post 21 hours after the fact and decided – for the first time ever – to participate in a reposting contest… half for the free bathing suit, and  half because the social media nerd in me needed to see how this small company would pull off messaging a code to thousands of people.

Much to my surprise I got the bathing suit when they posted a second post with a code for everyone to see… right after admitting they didn’t expect this type of response. So, what did they get out of giving away thousands of bathing suits anyway?

Well…

A completely sold out inventory for all their suits, ample media coverage from pubs like E News and a social following that went from less than 100K to 785K +… not to mention the number of conversations they drove across the Internet.

And there you have it, the power of social media… and the word FREE.

Rachel Lowe

Digital Marketing Manager

Rachel is a young veteran in the marketing industry with expertise in both digital and traditional marketing. She currently leads the agency's digital services with experience supporting numerous brands, including Bruegger’s Bagels, The Container Store, JOANN Stores, Mr. Chicken, San Diego Lighting Association and more. Rachel holds certificates in HubSpot, Email Marketing, SEO/SEM, Google AdWords, Google Analytics, Sprout Social and Video Advertising. She is also a member of the PRSA Cleveland board of directors and is the VP of Communications on the executive committee. Most recently she received the PRSA Rising Star Award, recognizing and honoring an outstanding professional with seven or fewer years of experience. A proud graduate of The Ohio State University, she holds a bachelor’s in strategic communication, and minors in fashion and retail studies and professional writing. Rachel is also certified in Digital Marketing Strategies Data, Automation, AI & Analytics from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management Executive Education program.