The Genius Marketing Behind Rihanna’s Savage x Fenty Fashion Show by Tori Yeasky
Source: @savagexfenty//instagram
There is no doubt that the recent Savage x Fenty fashion show was everything we could have dreamed of and more. Despite the fact that Miss Rona shook up the fashion industry worldwide, Rihanna still managed to bring it for us. Every single one of the 165 fierce looks was jaw-dropping, and the diversity and inclusivity the show promoted was even better. While the focus was obviously on the show itself, there were many things going on behind the scenes that worked to promote and execute the event flawlessly. Let’s take a look at some of Rihanna’s genius marketing tactics that helped to make the show such a success.
Inclusion of Celebrities
Source: @normani//instagram
What better publicity is there than to have celebrities post about your show to their millions of followers for free? Not to mention, those who are constantly on social media and following these celebrities are the exact market that Savage x Fenty, as well as Fenty Beauty, appeal to. Bella Hadid alone has over 34 million followers, and her post promoting the show got over 700,000 likes. She also posted pictures of her in outfits from the show for days after, further continuing to promote the brand for free. The show boasted countless familiar faces in addition to Ms.Hadid including Lizzo, Normani, Cara Delevingne, and Shea Couleé, just to name a few. Rihanna’s inclusion of this diverse group of celebrities is not only genius marketing to reach her target audiences of all different backgrounds, but it is also an important move towards normalizing diversity and inclusivity in the fashion industry.
Use of Amazon
Source: Amazon Prime Video
While last year’s Savage x Fenty show was available on Youtube, this year viewers could only watch the show through the use of Amazon Prime Video. Since Amazon is the #1 site for online shopping, holding the show in a place where there are millions of regular e-commerce users was a great strategy to, again, target the audience most likely to buy her clothing. During the fashion show, viewers could easily be directed via link to browse the collection and purchase items with one click of a button. Also, Amazon could use data analysis of consumers’ searches and purchases to further advertise the products to those likely to buy them. Overall, this concept was a smart move on Rihanna’s part and it may impact the future of the online fashion industry forever.
Promotion of Fenty Beauty
Source: @fentybeauty instagram
As we all know Rihanna’s empire also includes her makeup line, Fenty Beauty, and it was successfully incorporated into the Savage x Fenty show as well. Why not promote both brands for the price of one? Fenty Beauty products were used on the models, and Rihanna made sure to announce it all over social media so viewers know what’s up. With both brands in the picture, people will not only see the stunning clothes and want to automatically buy them, but they’ll also see the flawless makeup and go running to buy that too. Rihanna’s use of both her brands to promote each other at one event, as well as her use of both social media pages with millions of followers each, definitely helped her to gain the most out of the experience.