This is where marketing strategy connects with real life experience.
Picture a busy sidewalk in Las Vegas. With so many people walking past, you have just a few seconds to catch someone’s attention. When I did street marketing, I found a simple formula: offer a real compliment, smile warmly, and give a friendly wave. That was enough to help people feel at ease.
Then came the question that mattered most: “What brings you to Vegas?” Whether it was a celebration, a gambling trip, or just celebrating life, every answer pointed to a need they didn’t know they had. I solved it and thanked them with a gift for their time.
Warby Parker takes a similar approach online, but with eyeglasses. In this post, I’ll explain how they quickly build trust and what other brands can learn from their example.
The Case in Brief
Back in 2010, four Wharton classmates were frustrated by how hard it was to buy prescription glasses. The frames cost too much, appointments took a lot of time, and customers had to go back and forth between the doctor and the store. They put together $2,500, started Warby Parker, and began selling their own frames online, directly to customers. Their biggest challenge was earning people’s trust to buy something as personal as glasses online. Social media let them have real conversations with customers and change how people saw their brand (Mahoney & Tang, 2017).
Lesson 1: Lower Their Guard
When I worked as a marketing manager in Las Vegas, I smiled and waved as I walked toward tourists, and about 90% of the time, they smiled back. Then I offered a compliment: “Y’all are a great looking couple. Are you here on your honeymoon?” That one question lowered their guard. Whatever they were celebrating, I was celebrating too.
Warby Parker also had to win over a cautious audience. Many people thought you couldn’t buy glasses online or believed that low prices meant poor quality. The textbook calls this dissonance (Mahoney & Tang, 2017). Warby Parker solved this with their Home Try On program: they sent five frames for free, customers tried them at home, and returned them at no cost. Like my smile, this made it easy for people to say yes.
Lesson 2: Have a Conversation, Not a Pitch
After someone felt comfortable, I didn’t start selling right away. Instead, I asked, “What brought you to Vegas?” and offered tips on good restaurants, shows, or attractions. I kept a few simple rules in mind:
- Keep questions conversational, not interrogative.
- Whenever possible, make them laugh or smile.
- Use MOPFI: Make Other People Feel Important.
Warby Parker uses a similar approach. Rather than just talking at people with ads, they reply to comments, answer questions, and share helpful YouTube videos. The textbook calls this transactional communication, which means having a conversation that goes both ways and focuses on what the customer needs (Mahoney & Tang, 2017).
Lesson 3: Let Happy Customers Do the Talking
Every guest who listened to our presentation received a gift, like show tickets, slot play, or gift cards. From the start, we let them know we’d appreciate their feedback, kept the energy positive, and made the experience memorable. By the end, asking for a short video felt natural.
Warby Parker asks customers to share photos of themselves trying on frames on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. People who post these photos buy at twice the rate of those who don’t (Shandrow, 2013, as cited in Mahoney & Tang, 2017). Their Buy a Pair, Give a Pair program with VisionSpring also gives customers a positive story to share.
Earned trust is worth more than paid praise.
Melissa Marie
There’s one important difference. Our guests received a gift, and today the Federal Trade Commission (2023) requires brands to clearly disclose when someone receives anything of value in return for a review. Warby Parker’s photos are powerful because customers share them freely.
What This Means for Social Media Marketers
As marketers, our words matter. If I ran that Vegas booth today, I’d keep the gift separate from any request for feedback and focus on the experience itself: the professionalism, the fun, and the memories. Then I’d offer a QR code to leave a review or post a video if guests wanted to. No pressure, just real people sharing a real experience. That’s what Warby Parker gets right.
What brand made you feel like a friend instead of a customer? Tell me in the comments.
References
Federal Trade Commission. (2023, June 30). Federal Trade Commission announces updated advertising guides to combat deceptive reviews and endorsements [Press release]. https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2023/06/federal-trade-commission-announces-updated-advertising-guides-combat-deceptive-reviews-endorsements
Mahoney, L. M., & Tang, T. (2017). Strategic social media: From marketing to social change. Wiley Blackwell. https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Strategic+Social+Media:+From+Marketing+to+Social+Change-p-9781118556849
Featured image and infographic: original images by Melissa Marie.
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