Reese Witherspoon catches backlash for coronavirus giveaway to teachers gone wrong
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Reese Witherspoon is catching backlash for a coronavirus giveaway gone wrong.
The "Little Fires Everywhere" actress, 44, was committed to showing appreciation for teachers amid the coronavirus pandemic by offering them a chance to receive a free dress from her clothing brand, Draper James.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}But it turns out the actress' good deed fell short of its expectations, after only 250 educators out of the nearly one million who entered the giveaway actually scored a dress.
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Back on April 2, Draper James announced the cause.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Dear Teachers: We want to say thank you. During quarantine, we see you working harder than ever to educate our children. To show our gratitude, Draper James would like to give teachers a free dress," the company announced on its social media platforms.
Educators interested in receiving the free designer frocks were asked to submit online applications by the end of day on April 5. Winners would be notified just two days later, the post said.
There was also a small caveat mentioned in the post: the offer would be valid "while supplies last."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}CLICK HERE FOR FULL CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE
Teachers from all over have since bombarded the brand's social media accounts with complaints about the giveaway, with dozens upon dozens claiming they never received emails confirming the receipt of their applications.
According to The New York Times, the application form "crashed" right away. The initial Instagram post about the giveaway was viewed 400,000 times and close to one million applications had been received, the outlet said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Marissa Cooley, the senior vice president for the brand's marketing and creative departments shared a statement with the Times regarding the shortage.
"We felt like we moved too quickly and didn't anticipate the volume of the response. We were really overwhelmed. It was way more volume than the company had ever seen. We expected the single-digit thousands," she said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The brand shuffled to lower consumers' expectations by noting in the company's Instagram Story – with each only lasting 24 hours at a time – that it was more of a contest than a free for all.
This week, it appears to be too late. The business was consumed with responses from excited educators who shared how let down they were when they realized their entries were never valid to begin with.
"Such an amazing gift!" one teacher commented on the company's Instagram page. "No email here either and I completed my form well in advance. I guess I didn't realize it was a contest. At the same, congrats to everyone who made the cut. It's nice to be thought of during this difficult time."
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The post garnered hundreds of similar reactions, with several questioning the brand on how they can check on the status of their application despite submitting it on time.
"I didn't receive an email entry either," another fan echoed, prompting the business to apologize.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"There seem to be a lot of cases of emails getting stuck in spam or sent to different email addresses entered in the form -- we can get you sorted if you email," the brand responded along with a customer care email address.
"I assume if we didn't get an email, we didn't win?" another user questioned. "Congrats to those who did."
"Can we just address the issue of not getting an email rather than say you're sending everyone a dm?" one frustrated consumer replied.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I didn't receive an email. All teachers are heroes!" another said.
Witherspoon, the brand's founder, appears in promotional ads all over Draper James' social media accounts hawking the bright-colored patterned clothing. On that platform, contestants continued to communicate their disappointment.
"While I understand it's not cost effective to give every teacher a free dress. It should have been handled differently," one Facebook user wrote. "For example, first 250 teachers will receive a free dress, 250 teachers will receive a 75% off coupon, 250 teachers will receive 50% off and everyone else 40%. Instead now you have several angry teachers! Please do the right thing here and come up with a better solution."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"What opportunity...they lied," another wrote.
"Exactly!" another teacher agreed. "I filled out the form and received zero feedback, nevermind a dress."
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Dozens of teachers also reminded the brand that they can't afford Draper James' clothing to begin with.
Reese Witherspoon attends the 2020 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on Feb. 9. (Getty)
"Most of the clothes are so expensive and I truly was so excited that I'd be able to pick a really pretty new dress...," wrote another.
This week, the company addressed the situation and began offering 30 percent discounts to those who did not receive the confirmation emails.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"We were so excited to reward 250 teachers across the United States with a free dress. We love educators all over the world for what they do everyday, but especially right now," the company said, prompting their followers to check out additional information about the marketing faux pas via its Instagram Stories.
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The brand continued to ask for teachers to email them with stories of how they are "navigating the world of remote learning."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}It appears Witherspoon has yet to publicly address the backlash. Reps for the actress and her clothing brand did not immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment.