The Business of Fashion
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
NEW YORK, United States — "Being a content creator is like being a venture capitalist. You put out 10 pieces for one to be a success, but that one success — it can be a huge," explains Drew Elliott, the co-owner and chief creative officer of PAPER Communications, the renowned New York publishing and communications company.
Collaborating with BoF on an online education course was a natural fit for the digital savant. "When I was asked to teach the first course on Digital Marketing, it was an immediate "Yes" from me. I was able to bring the PAPER fun and pop culture to the academic and tools-based curriculum BoF provided. This course is for everyone who wants to get ahead in communications and marketing… whether you need a brush up, or you are just starting your career in digital. Nothing is more important to my business and anyone's business for that matter than having new talent who are digital thinkers," he explains.
Focus on the Content, Not the Result
ADVERTISEMENT
I believe that virality is out of your control but what is in your control is creating content that is capable of going viral. You'll get virality if you create amazing content with the right ingredients, but not necessarily because you want it. Virality is unplanned. That's the hardest part of virality. Everyone wants to have it but it's not something that you can plan on. It's a perk. You have to always remember that. If you ever receive a brief that says, "We would like to create a viral video" Tell them, "No, thank you." It's just like going out and deciding, "I want to be rich and famous," as opposed to "I want to be an actor or an entertainer." It's putting the perk before the work so you've really got to turn them around and think about it in a different way.
Read the Mood and Respond
There is no better thing to inform you about the internet than the internet itself. You have to know what's happening in the ecosystem of the internet. It's constantly churning out different trends, topics, things that you can really understand and pull out, whether it becomes a meme or whether it's in a trade publication.It's very, very key to stay dialled in to everything that's happening. Youth culture, educationally, academically, you need to be able to really pull all of those together. You need to hear what's going on. You need to be a part of the community that you're entertaining.
One of the great examples is Amal Clooney. When the Associated Press called her an actor's wife, the internet went crazy and so Paper was able to punk that. Later, when it was announced that Amal Clooney was pregnant, Paper released content saying, "Amal Clooney and actor husband are expecting twins." An example of a fantastic instantaneous reaction that went viral was when the lights went out at the Super Bowl. Oreo tweeted,"You can still dunk in the dark," that was a genuinely viral moment that was reactive because people were watching the Super Bowl, but at the same time the brand was bringing to life their fun tone of voice. They were responding.
Recognise Consumers Want to be Part of a Movement
Harness Celebrities and Influencers
Influencers and celebrities are the rocket fuel of virality. It doesn't mean that if you choose someone with 10 million followers, even a 100 million followers that it will go viral, it just means your chances are higher because it's reaching more people at the onset. Influencers and celebrities can only add fuel to this fire. Remember, micro influencers are also very important inside of virality because they have such a strong, strong connection to their followers. Those followers in turn will then amplify it out to their audiences.
Tailor Content to Existing Communities
For dozens of brands, dressing stars for the Met Gala comes at a significant cost. It’s not always clear how they should measure their return on investment, writes Imran Amed.
The New York Times’ chief fashion critic joins BoF founder and editor-in-chief Imran Amed to share her 2024′s Met Gala.
Despite threats of disruption from protests, the Condé Nast union and TikTok’s legal woes, the event continued as planned with attendees dazzling in bespoke and archival ensembles.
The race to dress fashion’s biggest stars has gotten tighter — and brands are deploying fresh, social media-friendly tactics to generate buzz.