As brands look for new ways to engage with their audiences, Celebrity collaborations seem to be the go-to for generating excitement, revenue, and Media Impact Value™ (MIV®). They offer an interesting shift in positioning with a fresh perspective and unique touch, allowing brands to reach the modern consumer via new formats and experimental designs. Earlier in the year, we analyzed collaborations between brands, including Jimmy Choo x Timberland or Supreme x Nike. As Celebrity collaborations seem to break the Internet time and time again, we analyzed the most topical ones this year to see how much impact they had on brands.
Travis Scott (Cactus Jack) x Dior
Debuting at Paris Men’s Fashion Week, Dior’s Spring 2022 Menswear show was the first collection the house collaborated on with a musician and not just any, but the iconic rapper and founder of record label Cactus Jack – Travis Scott. The collection featured Kim Jones’ staple pieces, thoughtfully merged with Scott’s signature details – distinct typography, western motifs, and instantly recognizable wide silhouettes, to name a few.
Travis is no stranger to collaborations. Between lifestyle brands, cosmetics, and beverages, Travis has created a co-branded empire that instantly captivates the younger consumer. Known collaborations include Byredo, Fragment, as well as some more unexpected ones like McDonald's back in 2020, although he is mostly known for the beloved and hyped sneakers collaborations with brands like Nike and Jordan.
As one of the most talked-about collaborations in fashion this summer, the CactusJackDior collection gathered an astonishing $18.7M in MIV® across Social and Online Media in just over a month.
The top post valued at $1.46M in MIV® came from South Korean rapper Sehun, while Travis’ video teasing the collection generated $958K MIV®. Dior’s Owned Media proved to be a key Voice, bringing $4.71M in MIV® from Dior’s Instagram alone.
Bad Bunny x Adidas
Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny’s work with Adidas includes various collections, with four released just this year. The total Media Impact Value™ of these collaborations in 2021 is valued at $12M in MIV® across online and social platforms.
The Adidas x Bad Bunny Forum Low draws upon an OG bestseller from the German sportswear brand. The Forum Low 84 remains a hallmark of the Adidas archives and is rarely collaborated with. The iconic status and history of the shoe tee-ed up the collaboration for success.
Bad Bunny’s Instagram post showing Adidas Forum Low Bad Bunny Pink Easter Egg sneakers brought an impressive $2M in MIV®.
The sneakers community is proving to be impactful, with Voices like sneakersnews or nicekicks generating $695K and $333K in MIV® respectively.
Announced recently, the 'Bad Bunny Forum – Back to School' collection is already grabbing the attention of sneakerheads. The concept is built around the reimagination of school uniforms, shedding light on the campaign tagline “Rebels of today. Leaders of tomorrow”. The brand’s post gathered $263K in MIV® in just two days following the announcement. Released around mid-August, many are waiting to see how much more value the new collection will bring to Adidas over time.
Besides Celebrity collaborations like that with Childish Gambino or Jonah Hill, Adidas worked with multiple brands including YEEZY, Noah, Ivy Park, Peloton, or Wales Bonner. The brand has been successful in leveraging buzzy Voices, be it brands or Celebrities, as well as the loyal members of the sneakers community, to drive brand performance every drop.
Justin Bieber x Crocs
Last but not least, a collaboration that made quite a buzz, namely due to Victoria Beckham perplexed by a piece of the collection that she received in her mailbox. The face of the collaboration – Justin Bieber, has previously collaborated on the rubber clogs and joined forces with Crocs once again to release Classic Clogs in lavender, complimented with a pair of socks and Jibbitz charms.
Tracking Online and Social activity from March to July 2021, placements mentioning the collaboration generated an astounding $6.6M in Media Impact Value™. The top post came from Justin Bieber and brought $831K in MIV®. The artist’s Voice proved to be key contributing to $1.6M in MIV® overall.
One of the top posts for the Justin Bieber x Crocs collaboration was Romeo Beckham’s Instagram post, showing him cooking in the yellow Justin Bieber x drewhouse x Crocs clogs, which generated $283K in MIV® for the brand.
Crocs continue to gain momentum as evidenced by its growing stock price, which is attracting even bigger collaborators. Earlier this year, the brand tapped musicians across genres including Post Malone, Bad Bunny, and Diplo as well as high fashion brands like Balenciaga and Christopher Kane. Most recently, streetwear fans await the arrival of Salehe Bembury x Crocs, designed by the visionary ex-Versace and ex-Yeezy designer.
Celebrity collaborations with fashion brands have proved to gather attention - not just with celebrity die-hard fans or brand fanatics - but media around the world due to the strong echo they generate. Nowadays, as the lines between pop culture, art, and high fashion become more blurred and fashion progresses in various directions, we find ourselves no longer surprised with previously unexpected collaborations, as they now interlink and no longer collide. What they offer instead is a unique and exciting spin, bringing consumers closer not only to the brand but each other, creating a meaningful, engaged community.
Measurement of these activations are an essential key to success, allowing brands to understand the true impact of collaborations and whether they support long-term objectives and can be replicated for success.
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By Aleksandra Rakowskaaleksandra.rakowska@launchmetrics.com
Based in London, Aleksandra is a part of Launchmetrics' Business Marketing Team, specializing in ABM & Event Management. She is passionate about the Fashion, Luxury & Beauty industry and curious to explore new innovations that will lead to meaningful advancements within the industry.