Marc JacobsPerhaps there's some truth the old "Oh, you're a model? Who's your agent, Instagram?" meme after all. And if you have your doubts about it, then you can take it up with Marc Jacobs.
Marc by Marc Jacob's execs skipped model casting calls in favor of a hands-on social media contest. The idea was simple: snap an Insta pic and tag #CastMeMarc. The results? Nearly 70,000 submissions in the week-long contest. The submissions were narrowed down to 30 gals from around the world, and then to nine lucky winners who will appear in the Marc by Marc Jacobs fall campaign, launching in August.
"It seemed like a great idea to me, as casting through Instagram seemed cool, current and strong," Jacobs told WWD. "We wanted the ads to shout with youth and energy…to be fresh and reclaim the spirit that the collection had when we first conceived of it — to be another collection, not a second line."
Great idea? Yes. But original idea? Not so fast.
With a little help from UK modeling agency Models 1, ASOS also plucked their latest Curve Model face from an Instagram contest. The online British retailer selected Lauren Punter from more than 2,000 entries from the ten-day competition to front their plus-sized section. The #MakeMeACurveModel winner told Vogue UK: "I entered the competition on the final day and I have never done anything like this or entered a competition like this before."
Italian-based retailer Brandy Melville regularly posts open model casting calls on their Instagram and Twitter accounts as well. #NoHashtagRequired though; the brand's posts only invite girls to attend castings at the given store, not upload photos to their personal accounts. Brandy Melville uses the snap-shot based social media site as a regular source of advertisement, and encourages fans to Instagram pictures wearing their clothing with #BrandyUSA.
With all these casting success stories on Instagram, we're thinking the site should add an official 'model' filter. #WorthAShot?