LONDON — What’s in a name? Quite a lot when that name comes out of the mouth of a celebrity.
A new report by the London-based WeArisma shows that engagement rates surge when a celebrity talks on social media about what they are wearing, even if the mention is brief.
There is no mystery here. Much of the time, viewers have no clue what people on the red carpet are wearing, so it helps when the celebrity name checks their outfit.
WeArisma, a data-crunching company that wants to help brands measure and optimize their investments in influencer marketing, analyzed the social media numbers generated at the 2023 Met Gala. They found that celebrity — or even influencer — mentions are gold dust for brands.
According to WeArisma, Simone Rocha, Valentino and Dior were the top performers in terms of engagement.
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Rocha saw a bounce in numbers following a TikTok interview for Vogue between Emma Chamberlain and Billie Eilish. During the interview Eilish discussed her black lace Rocha gown.
The mention generated $204,500 in media value, a 268 percent engagement rate and a reach of 2.8 million.
Billie Eilish at the 2023 Met Gala.
Lexie Moreland/WWD
Valentino’s engagement rate soared after a Variety TikTok showed Rihanna telling the interviewer she is wearing the brand. “It’s Valentino, baby,” she told the interviewer. That mention resulted in a media value of $496,800, an engagement rate of 1,945.4 percent and a reach of 1.4 million.
Dior got a boost from influencer Priscila Escoto, who blasted out a TikTok video about the gala where she discusses the Dior looks in Spanish. The post resulted in $118,800 in media value, a 61.4 percent engagement rate and a reach of 3.1 million.
WeArisma said that “appearing in an influencer’s TikTok content can aid a brand’s engagement rate.”
Meanwhile, a TikTok from Vogue France of an interview with Alton Mason discussing his Chanel look generated a media value of $42,500, an engagement rate of 28.1 percent and a reach of 1.3 million.
It seems that viewers were glued to Vogue’s conversation with Blackpink’s Jennie Kim, where she talked about her Chanel look and how it was inspired by a past Karl Lagerfeld collection. The conversation generated $142,000 in media value, an engagement rate of 135.2 percent and a reach of 2.8 million.
Overall, Chanel, Gucci and Versace generated the most media value on the night, whether the celebrities were promoting their outfits with words, or pictures.
The data company noted that all three brands collaborated with, and dressed, A-listers who are at the forefront of popular culture, “showing how effective partnerships with the right influential personality can be in driving brand media value.”
The theme of this year’s Costume Institute exhibition was “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty.” Many guests wore Chanel in honor of the brand’s longtime designer Lagerfeld, whose name had been synonymous with the house until his death in 2019.
WeArisma said the Lagerfeld theme was a significant driver for the Chanel brand, resulting in a “remarkable surge” in mentions and media value. The brand witnessed a 20,210 percent increase in mentions, and a 52,315.1 percent increase in media value compared to the previous year.
Amplifying the chatter about Chanel was an Instagram post by Dua Lipa, who cohosted the Met Gala this year wearing a Chanel gown. The single post had a media value of $6.7 million.
Dua Lipa in Chanel, and Tiffany & Co. jewelry.
Lexie Moreland for WWD
WeArisma said it calculates media value based on a proprietary estimate of the investment required to generate the specific level of following and engagements based on the market rate of the platform, geography and sector.
Chanel wasn’t the only luxury name lighting up mobile screens on the night.
Gucci continued longtime collaborations with Serena Williams and Salma Hayek, while Versace dressed Anne Hathaway.
An Instagram post from Williams showing her Gucci look generated $1.7 million in media value, a 6.2 percent engagement rate and a reach of 16.6 million.
Hathaway’s Instagram post showing her in a slinky, safety-pin stitched dress and long gloves generated $3.1 million in media value, a 6.5 percent engagement rate and a reach of 28.3 million.
Sometimes engagement can soar as a result of the sheer volume of content produced.
WeArisma noted that Fendi’s “significant media presence” on the night was primarily a result of the brand dressing the South Korean actress Song Hye-Kyo.
The company noted that Harper’s Bazaar Hong Kong created six pieces of content featuring the brand and the actress, one of which generated a media value of $10,600 and an engagement rate of 7 percent.
Meanwhile, a single fan account for the star produced 43 pieces of content, generating an overall engagement rate of 14.2 percent, a media value of $59,800 and a bumper night for the Fendi brand.