Quests for Clothes

In a college town like Eugene, many of the rituals and traditions that define residents’ experiences are tied to the University of Oregon. Thrifting, as a ritual in itself for college students, is a competitive market, so the challenge was to differentiate one store from the others in the area.

The success of a college town thrift store is largely tied to how connected a store is to the student population. We identified an opportunity to incentivize community interaction, exploration, and a stronger sense of belonging, while tapping into any college town’s most powerful marketing resource: the student network. This led to “Quests for Clothes,” a scavenger hunt where participants could redeem quintessential Eugene experiences, including visiting Ghost Town Outfitters, for store discounts.

The strategy centers on demonstrating that GTO understands its students better than other local thrift stores, positioning it as a University of Oregon tradition and embedding it in the Eugene canon as the go-to spot. With Willem Patrick [copywriter], Kayla Chang [account executive], and Trygg Boren [media buyer].