Outdoor influencers hijacked influencer marketing and its model (product seeding) to genuinely help homeless youth stay warm this past winter. Moreover, the campaign unfolded entirely online on social media platforms.

Quebec is one of the coldest places in the world. While homeless youth suffer from hypothermia on the streets, influencers receive tons of new winter clothing for free without any obligation or request. It is called “product seeding.” Dans La Rue is a nonprofit organization and shelter helping homeless youth.

The Quebec winter is very cold, especially for young people without a fixed home. Dans La Rue, a homeless shelter, has been collecting clothing donations since 1988 to distribute to homeless youth. With virtually no budget, the homeless shelter wanted to launch a social media campaign to increase donations of new, warm, fashionable clothing for winter.

Influencers changed their addresses so that the new winter clothing intended for them would be delivered directly to Dans La Rue, a homeless shelter.

Research proves that major clothing brands are more inclined to offer high-quality new clothing to influencers who can promote them (product seeding) than to organizations that help people in need. Dans La Rue partnered with four influencers to repurpose product seeding and disrupt influencer marketing for a good cause. Targeting young adults between 18 and 35 years old, who are significantly more likely to use social media platforms (over 95%), the campaign was strategically deployed solely on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. The four content creators utilized their platforms to engage with their followers and encourage clothing donations.

Four influencers changed their shipping addresses across their social media platforms, email addresses, websites, etc. This way, companies wishing to send them free clothing (product seeding) eventually redirected the shipments to the nonprofit organization Dans La Rue, which assists homeless youth. For two months, the four influencers redirected the packages to the organization. Then, a video explaining the idea was launched on Dans La Rue’s social media platforms. Accompanied by a public relations strategy, the organically launched video and the Address Change idea earned coverage in traditional media outlets. Shortly after the campaign’s launch, dozens of other influencers also changed their addresses so that additional clothing from various brands could be sent to Dans La Rue. The receipt of donations and the campaign stretched throughout the winter, reaching across Quebec and parts of Canada.

Without any media investment (100% earned media), the campaign was quickly picked up by traditional media. Right after launch, dozens of other influencers also changed their addresses so that additional new and warm clothing could be delivered directly to young people who needed it most. Dans La Rue’s social networks gained over 30,000% more reach, and the campaign was perceived positively by 98%. A total of 32 major brands participated unknowingly, and 400% more clothing was donated this year. Altogether, more than $95,000 worth of clothing was received for free. But more importantly, hundreds of homeless youth stayed warm this winter.