It may be a new year, but it looks like social media is here to stay on the model circuit. The girls who subsequently fall under the 'insta-model' category, 2016 has been their year to shine thanks to followers now being the new way to generate income, it appears that this strategy will not be shifting any time soon in the industry. We all know the advantages of Instagram for models; Its a great way to promote yourself as a model and it has evidently lead to the industry becoming more inclusive (just look at the year Isrka Lawrence has had). However with the modelling industry now so absorbed in followers, many models get the question 'so how many followers do you have', or even worst replaced by a newer, less experienced model that just so happens to rack up the 'hearts'. So where do we draw the line? Can we truly as industry begin to reject girls due to not have a strong social media preference? The app we are focusing today that is soon to be just as important to those scouts and directors is snapchat, check out what the IMM models have been up to and why snapchat is beneficial for any aspiring model.
Instagram remains the preferred medium for discovery but Snapchat is gaining traction with clients and, subsequently, agencies. The platform with 150 million daily users offers a fuller portrait of a person than an Instagram feed. "You're getting a glimpse into a person's life that no other social media platform allows," Samersova Garfinkel from Cast Inc said. (Munro, however, has a different take on the importance of getting this inside look at a model’s daily routine: "I wish it was something that we cared about. To be brutally honest, we don't really care what their life is like.")
Regardless, it’s true that an advertiser can use a model’s Snapchat account tell a story in a way they can’t on other social media platforms. "Watching a video is an all-encompassing experience. That's exciting for brands. They are always looking for people to spend more time learning about their brands," Amanda Del Duca, director at social and mobile modelling agency Kitten, said. "It's a really, really targeted market. You're reaching Generation Z and a a lot of millennials very directly just through this app." Making it the perfect scouting platform.
Leading modelling agencies are actively encouraging their models to get on the platform and admonishing them when they aren't posting enough, or are posting too much. Some contracts stipulate that a model post a certain number of images, snaps, or tweets, and increase their compensation accordingly. From an agency's perspective, the more followers and the larger social media presence a model has, the better. That's understandable, but it also sets up a troubling tension. For example, the pressure to establish a social media presence filters down to lower levels of modelling as well. It manifests itself in agencies calling in their girls for training or even in who they sign. Last year, Sierra Quitiquit was searching for a new agency. She took a few meetings and was told the 40,000 Instagram followers she had at the time weren't enough; she needed more like 150,000. "That ended the conversion about whether or not they were going to sign me," she said during a phone interview. "It was purely on my social following." A dangerous mindset to have as a model agent. Especially with the backlash of Insta models - viewed by industry legends such as Alex Wek, Stefanie Seymour and Vogue editors taking an utter blow at those so called 'influences'. So with everyone in the industry not being on the same page it simply doesn't seem fair to boo a model who may not get booking off her followers, or gifted by top fashion brands but may be the next 'it' girl. But this is the new industry. Although many ex models believe the industry has gotten 'easier' not everyone is a Gigi Hadid in the industry, it is a much more difficult path, for those who are starting out. The newer you are, the more you need to market yourself and brand yourself.
Why we love snapchat..
Here at IMM we love snapchat as it is a way to see the models more stripped back, personal and showing glimpse of the industry many aspiring models wouldn't of had the chance to see. For example the Clothes Show, which this year celebrated health in the fashion industry, using an array of models categorised as 'inbetweeners' including our curve model Rachel. Snapchat was beneficial as it allow us to film the 'now' and it appears 'snapchatting' during fashion events is a must this season. Fashion Week saw 52% more smartphones used to film fashion week events this year in comparison to 2015. Our phones are now our main source of information, "social media is just a term for the world wide web" so having the opportunity to see global events straightaway is amazing to be part of. See clips from the show below and behind the scenes shots from the Wrangler set to model Bella' s editorial with London photographer Nat Winter. Stay posted for more model takeovers on the IMM snapchat, and don't forget to add us at IMM Agency Group.
