The first Monday of May might seem like just any old date, but for many, it is the creme de la creme of days.
Some people root for Christmas, while the rest of us count down the days to spend an hour of our life scrolling (and judging) the designer looks of the Met Gala in the comfort of our shabby coffee-stained dressing gowns.
Every year, the Met Gala gets more and more attention. We’ve decided to look into the Met Gala's online success, the previous viral moments and what brands can learn from their digital marketing strategy.
What is the Met Gala?
Affectionately referred to as “fashion’s biggest night out”, the Met Gala is an annual benefit for (and hosted by) the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Everyone from artists and fashion designers to celebrities attend the event, and each year notable fashion powerhouse Vogue, and more specifically Anna Wintour, decides on that all-important theme that makes the event what it is.
Throughout the years, we’ve seen various concepts. From 2015’s ‘China: Through the Looking Glass’ to 2019’s ‘Camp: Notes on Fashion’ to last year’s ‘In America: An Anthology of Fashion’, a celebration of Gilded Glamour. Each individual theme tells a story through fashion and design.
After the passing of Karl Lagerfeld, the creative director of Chanel, in 2019, this year’s Met Gala has been dedicated to his fashion legacy; ‘Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty’.
What Can We Learn From the Met Gala?
Get People Talking
There are so many digital marketing lessons we can learn from the Met Gala, but one of the first and foremost is that it gets people talking. With the entire world as its audience, many public figures have been the subject of attention.
Kim Kardashian wearing the Marilyn dress, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) debuting her controversial ‘Tax the Rich’ dress are prime examples of using the event to further their public profiles. With the scope of media publicity it receives, there’s no better event to harvest public attention.
Social Interaction Matters
Social media interaction has made the Met Gala what it is today. The event receives media coverage from most media outlets, so whether or not your brand is linked to the Met Gala, getting involved in the online discourse will help to boost your brand awareness, especially if you’re a fashion or beauty brand.
Vogue’s Met Gala content alone attracted over 200 million views across all of their channels, with the Instagram live stream gathering 15 million views, so capitalising on the social media discussion around certain events is an all-important factor in every marketing strategy.
Never Underestimate Influencer Marketing
In previous years, the Met Gala has been seen as an exclusive and prestigious event for designers and notable figures. But, in recent years, the invite has been extended to influencers. It’s estimated that 61% of consumers are more likely to trust recommendations that come from influencers, as opposed to 38% of people who trust branded social media content.
With the Met Gala incorporating influencers into the event, it’s become an effective marketing tool to promote the Met itself as well as any sponsored brands and designers. From the clothes influencers are seen in, to the beauty products they’re using and discussing on the red carpet, the Met Gala has become a global platform for various streams of influencer marketing.
Viral Moments from Met Gala’s Past
Any Outfit Worn by Rhianna
Rhianna has earned the title of ‘Queen of the Met’. At this point, it’s her world, and we’re just living in it. If she turned up to the Met Gala wearing a bin bag, she’d still manage to outdress everyone there, so it’s only fitting that one of the top viral moments would be literally anything she’s ever worn at the event.
Emma Chamberlain & Jack Harlow
This completely awkward interaction from last year's Met went instantly viral. Emma Chamberlain became the centre of the internet's attention after her interview with rapper Jack Harlow.
The Marilyn Dress
The Kardashians are no stranger to a bit of controversy. Last year, Kim Kardashian stole the show at the Met Gala with that dress. Taken from Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum, Kim arrived wearing a dress formally owned by Marilyn Monroe. In the aftermath, pictures surfaced of the damage made to the dress, and it left the internet divided.
Some fans praised Kim for wearing the dress, calling her the modern-day Marilyn, while others saw it as tone-deaf and an insult to the late Hollywood starlet, and it became a huge social media topic and point of contention.
Jason Derulo Falling Down the Steps
One extremely unlucky person once fell down the stairs at the Cannes Film Festival in 2011, but then seemingly everything was forgotten. However, 11 years later, the picture of the fall resurfaced, and the internet claimed ‘Jason Derulo has fallen down the steps of the Met Gala’.
Every year since this meme has popped up across social media and has become synonymous with the Met Gala. Jason Derulo himself has also clocked onto the meme.
Looking Camp Right in The Eye
Never has there been a more anti-climatic reveal than Karlie Kloss’ Met Gala look in 2019. After Tweeting ‘Looking Camp right in the eye’, she instantly became a viral sensation, and not in a good way.
Bathroom Selfie
Without fail, every year, bathroom selfies from the Met Gala dominate the social sphere. Every celebrity you can think of, all in a confined space, always makes for an entertaining picture or two.
There we have it, just a few of the many digital marketing lessons we can learn from the Met Gala! Want to look at the best (and worst) looks of the Met Gala 2023? Every outfit can now be found on Vogue!
Need help with your digital marketing strategy or want tips on improving your brand's eCommerce? Get in touch with us today!
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