Betabrand Turns Customers Into Models With Launch of Model Citizen App

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 30, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Betabrand, the online clothier known for cult fashion hits like Cordarounds, Bike to Work Pants, and DARPA Hoodies, formally launched its Model Citizen app today, giving customers the chance to be instant models on Betabrand.com — no matter how good, bad, or outrageous their photos might be.

According to founder Chris Lindland, "So many people send in shots of themselves in Betabrand products, we invented a way to turn them into our site's superstars." Since test-launching Model Citizen in May, more than a thousand customer images have premiered on Betabrand.com, each inviting an average of 20 Facebook friends to take a look. "That's more than 20,000 new visitors who've been welcomed to Betabrand by a friendly face," said Lindland.

Unlike other companies with online fan photo galleries, Betabrand actually turns customer photos into the site's principal product images. To become Model Citizens, customers simply upload their photos to the site, where they instantly get a unique product-page URL they can share with friends, family, and anyone else they want to impress beyond belief. Friends ask, "How in the world did you end up modeling for a clothing company?" And so the social-commerce conversation begins.

Since Betabrand implemented Model Citizen, the results have been impressive:

• During Model Citizen's alpha release, the number of people it attracted to Betabrand.com would have cost the company $22,340, assuming an average CPC rate of $1.
• 1 in 10 Model Citizen photos generates a trackable order from a new customer.
• Total number of Model Citizen images so far: 1,108.
• Total unique views generated by Model Citizen images: 22,340 (roughly 20 views per Model Citizen image).
• Most number of unique views: 619.
• Most revenue generated by a Model Citizen image: $787.
• The 14-person company expects to generate more than $2M in sales in 2011.

In addition to being fashion forward, Betabrand aims to be "fashion forward-able." From its popular clothing to regular sales newsletters and other marketing materials, everything the company creates embodies the idea that people will share things that are interesting and entertaining. "This is the most blatant way to communicate to our fans that we want to showcase customer experiences with our clothing," Lindland says. "The more people who share their photos, the more amazing the Betabrand shopping experience will become."

To learn more about Betabrand, visit: www.betabrand.com. Fans can submit photos by clicking the green Model Citizen tab on the right side of any Betabrand.com page.

ABOUT BETABRAND:

Established in 2009, San Francisco-based Betabrand produces unique and clever clothing in small, limited-edition, beta-tested batches every week. The lighthearted, online-only clothing company has been covered by media around the world, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Economist, and enjoys an ever- growing number of fans, including Stephen Colbert and Paul Feig.

SOURCE Betabrand