Prom representatives receive 10 percent off of their tuxedo rentals for every friend who rents with Men’s Wearhouse. In addition, 10 referrals earn the representative a free tuxedo.

“Our overall strategy was to target most of the online channels and Web sites that teens use,” said Lisa Adams-Bankston, director of online marketing at The Men’s Wearhouse Group, Chicago. “We know that teens are heavy mobile and texting users, so we expanded our program to advertise on those apps that teens use to text each other.

“The intention was if teens are using SMS and mobile apps, then why don’t we sponsor those apps and advertise all the prom rep values?” she said.

Men’s Wearhouse is a retailer of men’s apparel with more than 1,259 stores nationwide.

Text for a tux
While there were online components in 2009, participants had to visit the store. This year, prom representatives have more social and online tools available to promote the offer among peers.

Female prom representatives who earn a tuxedo rental can give it to a friend or opt for a $100 Visa gift card. Representatives who reach 20 or more referrals are eligible for cash incentives.

After registering in-store or at http://www.mwtuxonline.com/promrep, each participant will receive a prom representative ID to gain access to a personal home page, where they can track their stats and promote themselves to friends.

Representatives can also use Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and SMS messaging to share their promotion.

“Our target is high school students and the campaign is clearly mobile-enabled, so it was important that prom representatives were given the tools to text information about the offer to their friends,” Ms. Adams-Bankston said.

Banner ads
The company has already placed several mobile banners promoting its program in various mobile-optimized sites, including MySpace.

Here is a screen grab of the banner ad:

Additionally, Men’s Wearhouse has added a new contest to its promotion, where consumers who rent a tuxedo will be entered for the chance to win an all-new Chevy Camaro Coupe 2SS.

There is a one-entry limit, except for prom reprsentatives, who are automatically entered into the drawing every time they get a tuxedo referral – up to 50 times.

“This is the first year mobile tactics were employed,” she said. “Next year Men’s Wearhouse plans to do more based on the learnings gathered from the 2010 campaign.”