Student repping, for Macy’s

Via Commercial Alert, here’s a Chicago Tribune story about college “brand reps,” such as 20-year-old Northwestern student Alex Covington, who reps for Macy’s. Specifically she:

plans Macy’s events on campus, from a sorority slumber party to a casting call for a Web documentary. She hands out fliers, sends out mass e-mails and text messages, and angles for articles in the student newspaper.

And whenever she gets a compliment on her tailored white blouse or her California-casual sundress, she makes sure to credit the company that provided them free of charge.

“I got it from [Macy’s’] American Rag” collection, she says.

“You should check it out.”

In exchange she gets $450 “stipend,” and $400 gift card. She apparently says “she reveals her ties to Macy’s about 85 percent to 90 percent of the time,” when pitching fellow students. The piece says her employer is RepNation, a division of Mr. Youth that claims to have 5,000 college reps working for various corporate brand clients.

This style of murketing — breaking the fourth wall between commercial persuasion and day-to-day life — is discussed in some detail in Buying In.