Christine C. Oddo is the author of The Christine Report blog and founder of Madison Luxe Group; a beauty and luxury retail sales, product development, brand curation and digital strategy agency.
Inquiries to christine@madisonluxegroup.com
It seems impossible. But Yes It’s Tue. Social Media has now penetrated the great mystique of discovering top runway models.
“Being discovered” has got to be one of the most storied-about human hopes and wishes-dream-come-true fantasies of all. Deep down, we all want to be “made” in this life. We want our talent, whatever it may be, to be finally, finally recognized. And we each have our unique set of fantasized rewards that go along with it.
This is why the stories of models getting discovered are so very intriguing. They are legendary, really.
And this is how it used to be done………
According to Harper’s Bazaar, Gisele Bundchen was found while munching a Big Mac.
Harper’s Bazaar Model Discoveries
Chrissy Teigen totally cops to her own disbelief in her discovery story. She was working in a Huntington Beach, CA surf shop. 14 year old Christy Turlington’s beauty was spotted by a photographer while horseback riding in Florida.
My Mom told me she was approached by a photographer while she was at a bus stop. Too young and on her own, she was reluctant to pursue it. Probably an all too common response. Think of all the beauties we will never get to meet.
These stories of model discovery hold an aura of beautiful randomness. A secret thing we all believed that only the most tasteful arbiters could bring forth to the masses. A fantasy we all happily rapture in.
And now, this is how Social Media is morphing the process………
Swipecast The New App For Fashion Talent
Karlie Kloss in Zac Posen, Photographed by Ed Kavishe for Fashion Wire Press" by Ed Kavishe, http://www.fashionwirepress.com/
With Swipecast, a virtual unlimited vault of beautiful models and industry talent are available for review. This means that the process is less about the narrow, random and mystical discovery and all about wide search capabilities. Talent also receive more of their share and they get it faster. Whereas talent used to receive about 66% of their booking, Swipecast says through their service, they now receive 90%. Payments can now be received in as little as 2 days.
Read more about Swipecast in Vogue.
On the brand endorsement side, increased speed is also yet another positive factor. It used to take years for a model to cultivate and be recognized for their following.
This can now be reduced to months.
Some, like Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner, are endorsing not to just POSE, but to also POST. Advertising brand giants are all over this. 
Read Emma Bazalian’s Fantastic Article in Adweek
See More Gorgeous Photos of Kendall in the Allure Shoot
How has all this sped up so quickly? It’s simple.
A model’s followers count is right there, for all to see.
Few of us on the planet qualify as fashion models. Even fewer make a living at it. Like so many other businesses, Social Media technology is democratizing the process. Models and fashion industry talent are, in this respect, just like everybody else-they want a chance, they want to get paid as much as they can and as fast as possible. But, are you disappointed that this may interfere with the discovery mystique? Are we clutching our pearls?
If so, then what is mystique worth?
Christine C. Oddo is the author of The Christine Report blog and founder of Madison Luxe Group; a beauty and luxury retail sales, product development, brand curation and digital strategy agency.
Inquiries to christine@madisonluxegroup.com
In 2013, Lululemon recalled its most popular yoga pant after users realized that they were see-through when stretched. Since yoga practitioners do a lot of stretching, this was a major problem. Then, the situation became an even greater PR tragedy when their very own founder and CEO, Chip Wilson, appeared on Bloomberg Television and blamed it on the women wearing the pants. “Quite frankly, some women’s bodies just actually don’t work for it,” he said, adding, “It’s about the rubbing through the thighs.” It’s amazing how in the context of what seems a perfectly benign business channel interview, can go to a total disaster.
Oh no did he really just say that?
Of course women everywhere interpreted this as being called too fat to wear Lululemon pants.
And could fashion devotees ever forget the total public meltdown of John Galliano? While head of design for Dior, drunk in a bar, he spewed racial slurs and would not calm down for hours.
Oh no did he really just do that?
Galliano’s personality came unglued in what appeared to be an unwinding from the many years of stress that came along with his intensely demanding role. Galliano was always known for his great flamboyance, but up till then, was really only known for his amazing work.
More recently, it was Dov Charney, the founder and CEO of American Apparel. His list of bad behavior really is too gross to restate. You can see the lawsuit filing here.
Oh no, did he really just say, email, text, write, perform, photograph and video that?
Apparently and ironically, as the founder of a clothing company, Charney also enjoyed working naked.
Nobody could ever imagine these bad PR surprises. Especially from the head cheese. Publicly verbal, uncharacteristic and highly damaging outbursts from the top have got to be last on any social media manager’s worry list.
Since bad PR can happen, companies need a serious plan of combat and execution. Social media is definitely the first place your customer now goes letting the world know exactly what they think or experienced with your brand.
So, then make social media the first place you go to do proper damage control.
Make a crisis game plan that specifies the duties and roles for each member on the crisis team. This game plan should be able to hold up against any incident, anytime, anywhere in the world and under any conditions.
Your go-to PR crisis social media plan should look like this:
Any company can be caught in a PR crisis at any time. Any company should be ready with their social media strategy to answer to it. No brand should assume immunity from these way-out-of-left-field-bad press incidents.
That is why it is called a surprise. Be ready.
Christine C. Oddo is the author of The Christine Report blog and founder of Madison Luxe Group; a beauty and luxury product retail sales and digital strategy agency.
Inquiries to christine@madisonluxegroup.com
Has Chanel done it again? Has this storied fashion house of
never-ending-goods-of-absolute-desire yet again reignited one of their very own legendary designs? Only the Chanel audience knows. The rest of us will know if we see it on the feet of devotees.
What we have on our hands here, or should I say feet, is the newest rendition relaunching the two-tone classic Chanel Slingback. Originally created in 1957, click this link to see the fabulous archived ’57 photo of Gina Lollobrigida and society’s finest wearing this classic shoe. The photo has a tickle of animation featuring the famous two-tone, intended as Chanel noted, that the black cap will shorten the toe and the beige lengthens the leg.
In a crazy coincidence, Lollobrigida, once referred to as “the most beautiful woman in the world” is again in the news at 87 years old. She says her decades younger husband tricked her, via getting her to sign paperwork, into their marriage, and only for her estate.
We know Chanel is tops in fashion, but how will the fashionista social media elite respond is the other question. Besides product sales, Social Media is the other sure way we’ll quickly learn if the relaunch of this classic is a hit. Response and Engagement from discriminating fashion societies reveal the truth for all to see and then emulate.
Lets look a little further into this social media terminology, “engagement”. Social Media expert and Harvard professor, Dr. Lelia Samii, states that, “Many think that the size of your community is the most important part of social media, however what is more important is ENGAGEMENT.” Dr. Samii is well known in her circles for devising the REALLY framework and strategy. Her REALLY program is an effective approach to the implementation and analysis of a brand’s social media efforts. REALLY stands for: Research, Engage, Analytics, Listen, Learn, You.
Sounds like marketing, doesn’t it? In Chanel’s eternal branding genius, they generated 4 visually delicate but unmistakable vignettes that are just long enough to draw in the viewer, but short enough to keep rapt attention. Based on the rolled jeans and bike ride featured in the vignettes, this creative balance is precisely aimed at the Millennial target audience. Be it 1957 or 2015, Chanel perpetuates their iconic aura. Judging by the number of views and comments, and multiply this by 4- one for each featured vignette, it does appear that Chanel definitely engages their audience.
Chanel’s 2015 social media marketing of their 1957 slingback is undoubtedly on target. Can’t wait to see them on all those feet.
Christine C. Oddo is the author of The Christine Report blog and founder of Madison Luxe Group; a beauty and luxury product retail sales and digital strategy agency.
Inquiries to christine@madisonluxegroup.com
