Gone are the days when teens would peruse magazines to see what the “cool kids” were wearing. Today, millennials turn to social platforms such as Instagram to follow the celebrities who are making brands famous…one small square at a time. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a “selfie” by an Instagram celebrity is worth – well – a significant portion of a brand’s marketing budget.
If you haven’t heard of G
igi Hadid, then you likely don’t have Instagram, the social media platform the model maven used to propel herself into the limelight. Gigi’s looks are equal parts Brigitte Bardot and Angelina Jolie, making both men and women swoon over her lush lips and golden tresses. Over the past year, the twenty-year-old supermodel has seen her career take off, landing coveted positions as the newest face of Tom Ford and Maybelline. Don’t only attribute this success to her Eiffel Tower-length legs, which are about as famous as the Kardashian derriere that managed to “#BreakTheInternet.” Taking cues from fellow models and insta-celebs Karlie Kloss and Kendall Jenner, Gigi has amassed over 5 million followers, reaching more fans than Vogue Magazine (whose circulation boasts an average of just over 1.2 million).
“I kind of noticed that social media was important when clients that I was working with started to bring up the things that I was posting,” Hadid said in an interview with Adweek this past spring. “You kind of realize that they are paying attention.”
Social media experts would argue that while her looks don’t hurt, it’s not just a pretty face and toned body that has garnered her exposure across the Internet. Instead, it’s her brand and the way she chooses to present herself to the masses that has people flocking to her feeds. One of Ms. Hadid’s most recent collaborations, with TopShop, resulted in millions flooding the retailer’s site to read all about the brand’s newest campaign girl. A single picture of her resulted in tens of thousands more likes than they’d received on other posts on their Instagram feed, proving that Gigi Hadid was a marketing gold mine.
For her latest birthday, Gigi decided to use her philanthropic spirit and millions of followers for good. She requested that, in lieu of gifts, people donate gift cards to restaurants, so she could hand them out to people in need on the streets of New York. Her Instagram posts resulted in a swarm of restaurants jumping at the chance to help Hadid with her charitable birthday wish. As a result, Gigi received thousands of gift cards, which then found their way into a carefully curated post to thank the brands that helped her. Subway, KFC, and McDonalds garnered millions of likes in one fell swoop.
Celebrities like Ms. Hadid are incredibly selective about the brands they will promote on their feeds; it’s not just about the highest bidder, but about achieving content that is consistent with the look and feel of their Instagram brand.
“I have a lot of friends who are successful with social media and I think I’ve learned something different from each of them,” Hadid said during the Adweek cover shoot.
“From someone like Karlie [Kloss], I think she’s done a really good job of just showing who she is; she lets her personality really shine in her Instagram.”
For Gigi, it’s about promoting a lifestyle through a series of pseudo-candid and professionally shot photos from Cannes or Tahiti, or whatever exotic location she happens to be gracing on any given day. Gigi’s Instagram feed is about fun, adventure, and of course, Gigi. What Gigi’s eating and wearing, who she is dating, and where she is traveling. It’s clear from the amount of followers, comments, and likes she has accrued that people are obsessed with Gigi Hadid, so all the Insta-star must do is give her adoring fans what they want: a peek into the life of the rich, beautiful, and fabulous. In many ways social media is the new reality TV, giving fans a glimpse into a life they can only dream of living.
For this reason, brands have taken advantage of these new opportunities for “advertorial” sponsorship, where Hadid has made overnight sensations out of the products she promotes. Written into models’ contracts are opportunities to promote brand awareness by cross-promoting the company on their respective feeds. Chances are, if Gigi Hadid is wearing it, there are a half million teenage girls lining up to buy it. I’m looking at you, Maybelline.
