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Library/Campaign/Payless Palessi
Grade B20 sourcesHIS-00333

Payless Palessi

Campaign · 2018 · Notable

46Editable slideCertificate

Payless said shoppers paid $640 for discount shoes before it refunded their purchases.

Original · Payless / DCX Growth Accelerator

Diane Burnett

@DianeBurnettSD · Oct 27, 2018

@palessi_shoes #palessi #palessipopup

21
Post · @DianeBurnettSD on X

Emily Price

@Emily · Nov 28, 2018

I for one applaud any promotion that involves pointing out the ridiculousness of fashion influencers: fortune.com/2018/11/28/pay…

210
Post · @Emily on X

?st

@questlove · Nov 29, 2018

Champion Trolling adweek.com/brand-marketin…

49125
Post · @questlove on X
Clip · Payless on YouTube
The Payless Experiment
Payless on YouTube
@palessi_shoes #palessi #palessipopup
@DianeBurnettSD on X
Payless ShoeSource Inc. | Palessi
The One Club for Creativity
Inside the Fake Payless Luxury Shoe Store Palessi
Adweek
Payless Shoe Store, Couple walking in a mall corridor
Fortune
Payless fools influencers with a fake store | CNN Business
CNN Business
Payless sold discount shoes at luxury prices — and it worked
CBS News
Payless fools 'influencers' into paying big price for affordably priced shoes at fake high-end store
Fox News
Q&A: How Payless Brilliantly Bamboozled Fashionistas With Its Fake Luxury Pop-up, 'Palessi'
Adweek
shoes
University of California, Riverside
DCX Wins Three Adweek Experiential Awards, Ties as Most Award-Winning Agency
I. Douglas Cameron / LinkedIn
The Payless Experiment
Payless on YouTube

Spread Score

How it works
Reach69Contagion35Breadth30Velocity65Longevity2046

Numbers

Earned media impressions claimed by campaign editor; undated
8.8B
As of Oct 12, 2026 · Self-reported · Versus / Brian Sanford
Peak date
Week of Nov 30, 2018
Nov 28 ’18 to Week of Nov 30, 2018
Platforms
6
Started on YouTube
Origin
Mixed
Fashion & accessories

Mechanics

  • Real-world spectaclePrimary
  • Creator relay
  • Platform jump
  • Press loop
  • Controversy

How it spread

Trace the origin

Payless filmed a fake luxury store, then released the reveal as a paid campaign. News reports and Twitter jokes followed. Payless said it refunded the purchases; YouGov found rising brand recall and weaker sentiment among younger adults.

Dates use the stated precision; chart positions are date anchors.

Google searchesNov ’18DecJan ’19FebMarAprMayPeakXYouTubePressRetailTVOpen web
XYouTubePressRetailTVOpen web

12 more events on this chart

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Timeline (15)

  1. October 2018

    Diane Burnett (@DianeBurnettSD) precursor · Oct 27 ’18

    Diane Burnett posted photos tagged #palessi and #palessipopup before the reveal campaign launched.[1]

    @palessi_shoes #palessi #palessipopup
    Open the first post ↗

  2. November 2018

    Payless / DCX Growth Accelerator seed · Nov 28 ’18

    Payless launched its filmed Palessi reveal through Adweek; Fortune embedded the official video that day.[2][3][5]

    Inside the Fake Payless Luxury Shoe Store Palessi

  3. Fortune press · Nov 28 ’18

    Fortune embedded Payless’s video in its report on the fake luxury store.[5]

    Payless Shoe Store, Couple walking in a mall corridor
Changelogupdated Oct 16 ’26
  1. 2026-10-16Added 2 numbers
  2. 2026-10-15Score 55 → 46 · Fact-check passed (36 claims)
  3. 2026-10-12Added: 15 events, 20 sources · Score 55
Origin
Mixed
Sector
Fashion & accessories
Region
US
Earned media impressions claimed by campaign editor; undated
8.8B
As of Oct 12, 2026 · Self-reported · Versus / Brian Sanford
Evidence
Grade B

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New cases, every week

How the next thing spread, the week it does.

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Google searchesNov ’18DecJan ’19FebMarAprMayPeakXYouTubePressRetailTVOpen web
XYouTubePressRetailTVOpen web

12 more events on this chart

Join free to see them

  1. October 2018

    Diane Burnett (@DianeBurnettSD) precursor · Oct 27 ’18

    Diane Burnett posted photos tagged #palessi and #palessipopup before the reveal campaign launched.[1]

    @palessi_shoes #palessi #palessipopup
    Open the first post ↗

  2. November 2018

    Payless / DCX Growth Accelerator seed · Nov 28 ’18

    Payless launched its filmed Palessi reveal through Adweek; Fortune embedded the official video that day.[2][3][5]

    Inside the Fake Payless Luxury Shoe Store Palessi

  3. Fortune press · Nov 28 ’18

    Fortune embedded Payless’s video in its report on the fake luxury store.[5]

    Payless Shoe Store, Couple walking in a mall corridor

  1. platform jump · Nov 28 ’18

  2. press · Nov 29 ’18

Join free to see the other 12 events and the full chart. Free, on every case.

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Why it worked

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