URBN’s fashion rental platform Nuuly has quickly become one of the top rental platforms in the industry. Now, as the company seeks to capitalize on the buzz and growth it has seen over the last two years, it is testing a new marketing strategy: social-native microdramas.
The company worked with Dayna’s House, an advertising agency founded by former Vogue video producer Dayna Carney that has worked with major luxury brands and retailers like Sephora, Glossier and Farfetch. The 12-part series, called “Heart On My Sleeve”, is directed by the filmmaker Milky Tran and stars the actress and comedian Wally Baram as a mid-20s art teacher looking for love. In each minute-long episode, she goes on a different date with a different character, many of whom are also played by notable content creators and influencers. Nuuly clothing is featured throughout, and Nuuly is credited along with the director and stars at the end.
For both Carney and Kirsten Henri, senior director of creative and content at Nuuly, it was important that the show “not feel like an ad,” Carney said.
“We wanted to make something entertaining and engaging, that feels different — not just like you’re being sold something,” she said. “We’re all constantly fed ads. This is meant to be a breath of fresh air.”
Henri said that the Nuuly team had had their eye on microdramas for the last few months. Brands like Procter & Gamble, Maybelline, Dr. Pepper, Marc Jacobs and Crocs have each launched their own version of the branded microdrama. These series often rely on high volume and extreme brevity to get viewers hooked, and many incorporate elements of soap opera theatrics. Carney said each episode of “Heart On My Sleeve” sets up the premise, resolves a plotline and ends on a cliffhanger.
The Nuuly marketing team had decided that for their big fall campaign, they wanted to focus exclusively on social channels. While it will run paid ads to promote the series on social platforms, Nuuly will rely more on organic marketing for this campaign. The series will be rolled out on Nuuly’s Instagram, TikTok and YouTube accounts. Its extensive supporting cast, including content creators like Charles Hsu, Chine Ikoro, Tara Raani, Khial Watson, Jean-Luc and Quentin Nguyen-Duy, will also post the episodes to their collective hundreds of thousands of followers.
“We’ve had success with multichannel campaigns before, and it’s not like we won’t go there again,” Henri said. “But social is where our target customer lives.”
She said that Nuuly intentionally took a light touch. There are a handful of small mentions of Nuuly in the show, but the brand’s presence is mostly felt through the clothes and the tag at the end, letting the story and performances take the spotlight.
Teasers for the series release on the 17th, and its premiere is on the 19th. New episodes will release daily and conclude on the 25th. Some of the brands featured in the campaign include Lioness, Collina Strada, Frankies Bikinis, Boys Lie, Ronny Kobo and OperaSport, all available to rent on Nuuly.
The microdrama format originated in China but has become a major global phenomenon over the last four years. Global revenue for microdramas increased from $500 million in 2021 to over $7 billion and growing by 2024. Production costs are low, and new episodes can be made quickly and easily. The entirety of “Heart On My Sleeve” was filmed in two days. And while conventional wisdom says that looser, less overly produced content does well on short-form video platforms, the rise of microdramas has shown that more professional-looking content can do well, too.
“A lot of people just throw something up on social, and it feels like it comes from a place of low-effort,” Henri said. “This was very tightly run and well-produced. A lot went into making it feel loose and social-native but high-quality.”
“We’re in a unique time on social media,” Carney said. “The volume of content is huge. How can you break through that? It’s an uphill fight sometimes. Chasing the algorithm is a losing battle.”
Nuuly’s revenue surpassed $568 million this year, and it has well over 400,000 subscribers only five years into its existence.
