On Brand Episode 3 Recap: Glambots and Marshalls Runway Looks — Whose Pitch Won?
The nine remaining contestants took on a photo-centered challenge from Marshalls and strutted their stuff.
On October 7, Episode 3 of On Brand with Jimmy Fallon hit the *blue* carpet for a fashion show, courtesy of Marshalls.
The nine remaining contestants took to the streets in New York City for a challenge that would turn a real person into a fashion model on a digital billboard. They were greeted by Marshalls Head of Marketing Emily Trent, who explained that she was looking for a campaign with a "fashion-forward" pop-up activation related to Marshalls style. Photos would be taken of customers interacting with the activations, and those photos would be used on a billboard.
As host and CEO of the On Brand agency Jimmy Fallon explained, "This activation must capture the moment of real people being wowed by the premium merchandise at Marshalls."
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On Brand contestants pitched fashionable, photo-ready activations
Dr. Raj Srivastava pitched a "Drip Bar" that impressed Bozoma Saint John with its pun, while Bianca Fernandez suggested a passport with different fashion destinations. Elijah Bennett's pitch had a gambling theme and the tagline "Luck Not Required," which Marshalls marketing head Trent thought was a bit too negative. Saint John suggested "Luck Guaranteed," which Trent liked better.
Pyper Bleu's tagline was "The joyride of a good find" with a Marshalls-themed merry-go-round, while Sabrina Burke pitched movie star-style trailers filled with Marshalls clothes that led to a red carpet.
Ryan Winn imagined a high end store called "Llasharms" that would reveal itself to be Marshalls, and Azhelle Wade presented a runway being dusted with glitter and confetti.
Mahiri Takai, a fashion industry vet of 14 years, pitched a Marshalls-branded closet with stylists on hand to help visitors find their Marshalls style, and Lauren Karwoski wanted to bring the glambot from the Oscars red carpet to the people of NYC.
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While the Marshalls execs also liked Ryan and Bianca's ideas, it was Mahiri's closet and Lauren's glambot that the brand wanted to see brought to life.
Mahiri's closet faced off against Lauren's glambot on the streets of New York City
Mahiri teamed up with Azhelle, Pyper, and Sabrina, while Lauren worked with Bianca, Ryan, Dr. Raj, and Elijah to hone their ideas and determine what was most important to their pitches' success.
Lauren envisioned her activation as a circle — 360 degrees for 365 days of style — while Mahiri focused on getting the Marshalls branding into what was originally pictured as a generic closet. Suddenly, their activations were unveiled. They were right next to each other, which made it easy to critique the other side and worry that theirs wasn't quite as good.
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Sabrina took advantage of her real estate sales skills to draw people into Mahiri's closet activation, but Mahiri was concerned that Lauren's concept might be more exciting. It was even tempting to his team members, with Pyper desperate to "swing her long hair" in a glambot photo.
Who won the Marshalls campaign in Episode 3 of On Brand?
Fallon, Saint John, and Trent were impressed by both activations. But they ultimately decided that while Lauren's concept was more fun to interact with, the glambot overshadowed the product. Since the closet activation showed off Marshalls' products more successfully, Mahiri took the win.
He immediately got emotional, and he was still in his feelings when he got to show off his billboard to his children months later. Mahiri also shared that he'd once worked in a coffee shop just across the street, so it was a full-circle moment.
Saint John called this hour "one of the most emotional episodes" of the season thanks to Mahiri's win.
"I think fashion has a way of doing that, in that you're trying to capture someone in a moment — making them feel even bigger and brighter than they are," she told NBC Insider. "Fashion has the power to do that. I've long felt that way, that my corporate dress has always been a little off-center, but that's because I feel like it's my armor! So I think some of that [aspect] brought emotion out."
She said Mahiri's personal fashion tie to the day "made us all cry." The Dallas fashion expert has now won two campaigns in a row, so he's taking an early lead.
Who went home in Episode 3 of On Brand?
No one went home! Nine contestants still remain, and you'll have to tune in for the next episode on Friday, October 10 at 8/7c to see who gets eliminated next.
