A model getting primped in one of IMG's behind-the-scenes Fashion Week videos.
Photo: Courtesy of IMG Fashion
This story is part of our series on building event buzz with online videos.
Not every successful online video is made by event attendees with handheld cameras. Marketers who realize the potential of Web video for enhancing an event experience are also producing professional, high-quality videos to complement their events.
In 2007, IMG Fashion launched a YouTube channel to display videos from Fashion Week events throughout the world. Each video is a one- to four-minute clip focused on a specific runway show, collection, or after-party, featuring interviews with designers and celebrity attendees. Produced and edited by IMG and Smashbox Studios, the videos capture both the glamour of the runway shows and the frenetic energy behind the scenes.
The most-viewed Fashion Week video—a look at designer Tara Subkoff’s Imitation of Christ line from last year—has been viewed more than 240,000 times, and more than 50 other videos have attracted similarly impressive numbers (although, admittedly, none were nearly as popular as the clip of a model falling through a hole in the runway—some things just work).
For New York Fashion Week this past February, IMG teamed up with one of its sponsors, American Express, to expand its online offerings. This year, the videos were showcased both on a YouTube channel and on a separate site hosted by American Express, with additional features such as live video streams of runway shows.
“Fashion Week is such a visual and exciting experience,” says Leslie Berland, director of public affairs and communications at American Express. “The live, streaming aspect brought that excitement to consumers in a way that wasn’t available before.”
For an event like Fashion Week, which already draws interest from a huge number of people, online video can bring the event to thousands of people who would be unlikely to attend the event in person. “It’s an insider industry event,” Berland says, “and the videos enabled consumers to experience the event as if they were industry insiders, while also allowing the designers to connect with consumers.”
Not every successful online video is made by event attendees with handheld cameras. Marketers who realize the potential of Web video for enhancing an event experience are also producing professional, high-quality videos to complement their events.
In 2007, IMG Fashion launched a YouTube channel to display videos from Fashion Week events throughout the world. Each video is a one- to four-minute clip focused on a specific runway show, collection, or after-party, featuring interviews with designers and celebrity attendees. Produced and edited by IMG and Smashbox Studios, the videos capture both the glamour of the runway shows and the frenetic energy behind the scenes.
The most-viewed Fashion Week video—a look at designer Tara Subkoff’s Imitation of Christ line from last year—has been viewed more than 240,000 times, and more than 50 other videos have attracted similarly impressive numbers (although, admittedly, none were nearly as popular as the clip of a model falling through a hole in the runway—some things just work).
For New York Fashion Week this past February, IMG teamed up with one of its sponsors, American Express, to expand its online offerings. This year, the videos were showcased both on a YouTube channel and on a separate site hosted by American Express, with additional features such as live video streams of runway shows.
“Fashion Week is such a visual and exciting experience,” says Leslie Berland, director of public affairs and communications at American Express. “The live, streaming aspect brought that excitement to consumers in a way that wasn’t available before.”
For an event like Fashion Week, which already draws interest from a huge number of people, online video can bring the event to thousands of people who would be unlikely to attend the event in person. “It’s an insider industry event,” Berland says, “and the videos enabled consumers to experience the event as if they were industry insiders, while also allowing the designers to connect with consumers.”
