What Exactly Is The Met Gala?

The Met Gala is an annual fundraising benefit for the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and serves as a way to honor fashion’s historical significance. It is known as [“fashion’s biggest night out”]) and marks the opening of the Costume Institute’s annual exhibition.

Vogue editor Anna Wintour serves as co-chair of the event and decides who gets the invite. The Met Gala, held on the first Monday in May, is one of the biggest events on the fashion calendar. Originally dreamed up by legendary publicist Eleanor Lambert (she also launched New York Fashion Week).

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When former Vogue editor Diana Vreeland took over in 1972, she turned it into a party. And when current Vogue editor Anna Wintour began her reign as Met Gala chair in 1995, she transformed it into a blockbuster.

Wintour herself selects each guest but nothing comes for free: a ticket reportedly costs around $50,000 and tables cost upwards of $300,000).

Print magazine circulation in the U.S. dropped by more than 50% since 2002. The magazine’s readership figures trend downwards (most issues now sell fewer than 50,000 copies a month, compared with 450,000 in 2006)

The Met Gala is really about keeping Vogue as the most powerful voice in fashion. The idea is to make the night go viral with as many shocking moments as possible.

According to Adweek in 2022, Met Gala Coverage Generated 100,000 Newsletter Sign-Ups:

Rather than focus solely on maximizing traffic, the publisher employed a variety of strategies to capture email addresses, promote its newsletter offerings and move readers down the subscription funnel. With more media companies shifting focus to prioritize revenue per user, publishers will increasingly seek to translate pops of traffic into ongoing relationships with readers.

The Met Gala used to rely on the amplification of Vogue, but now Vogue needs the Met Gala to prove its relevancy because as proved above print media industry is declining by 4.9% every year

Because the Met Gala is a huge celebrity affair, brands tend to get a ton of exposure. Most of these brands are luxury fashion brands, however, that doesn’t mean smaller companies can’t learn something from the event.

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Experiential marketing is the process of creating an experience for the customer rather than approaching them through traditional marketing methods. Creating a fun and unique experience is one of the best ways to connect with customers to ensure they want to learn more about a brand and what it offers.

The Met Gala is not just another fashion event. It is an immersive experience that transports attendees to a different world. From the moment they step onto the red carpet, they are surrounded by stunning visuals and immersive installations. By creating a unique experience, the Met Gala sets itself apart from other fashion events and creates a buzz that lasts long after the event has ended.

The Met Gala has built a strong brand that is instantly recognizable. From the iconic staircase at the Metropolitan Museum of Art to the elaborate costumes worn by attendees, everything about the Met Gala is designed to reinforce its brand identity.

This consistency has helped to establish the Met Gala as a must-attend event for anyone in the fashion industry and beyond.

Social media has played a huge role in the success of the Met Gala. The event is heavily promoted on social media platforms like Instagram, where attendees and fans share photos and videos of the red carpet and behind-the-scenes moments. Instagram became a sponsor in 2021 and installed a “meme correspondent” through Vogue’s social channels, asking followers about the red carpet This has helped to create a sense of FOMO (fear of missing out) among those who are not in attendance, further increasing the hype surrounding the event.

Each year, the Met Gala has a theme that guides the dress code and overall aesthetic of the event. This focus on a theme helps to create a sense of anticipation and excitement among attendees and fans. It also provides a clear direction for designers and stylists who are creating outfits for the event.

In 2015, Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour banned social media of any kind from the event. Wintour was trying to prevent images like this:

In 2017, Wintour took her selfie ban to another level by choosing to promote branded movable content as the future of brand marketing. In keeping with the theme of Manus X Machina, the gala collaborated with Sila Sveta and Vogue to create an interactive installation that created digitally immersive content for guests.

As celebrities flocked to the booth, operators systematically drip-released the short videos on Vogue’s Instagram account. Participants included Jaden Smith, Madonna, Alicia Vikander, and Katy Perry. These videos alone subsequently racked up over 2 million likes and over 800,000 views apiece.

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The Met Gala is known for its celebrity attendees, who often make headlines for their elaborate costumes and red-carpet appearances. Despite a strict ban on photography inside the event, (one commonly ignored by Kylie Jenner whose bathroom selfies get larger every year and pull in over 3 million likes) celebrities, editors, and bloggers flood their channels with gala content to let the world know what they are missing. Users can usually follow a dedicated thread using the #MetGala hashtag. By tapping into celebrity culture, the Met Gala can generate buzz and media coverage that reaches beyond the fashion industry.

In recent years small business can utilize the Met Gala content to create meme content for their social accounts:

Social media is ultimately what drives the hype of the Met Gala as it is an untelevised event. The fashion houses that interact the most on social media during the event, tend to be the ones that get the most attention for days to come.

In 2019, Gucci was expected to be the most coveted brand of the night, as creative director Alessandro Michele co-hosted the event alongside Wintour.

However, the less-popular brand Moschino also ended up being the most celebrated fashion house of the night, as it dressed Kacey Musgraves in a playful Barbie doll-inspired look and Katy Perry in a theatrical 40-pound chandelier costume.

These outfits stood out from many, as they very much matched the “Camp: Notes on Fashion” theme of the event. The outfits were eccentric and different, which proved to be a win for the company as Moschino was able to garner a 474% lift in Instagram interactions.

Moschino was highly active on Instagram throughout the 2019 event. Not only were posts getting added to the account’s feed, but also the account’s Instagram stories. Instagram stories were a really big deal in 2019 for the first time it allowed companies to interact with their followers by asking questions, providing polls, etc.

By being active on both of Instagram’s dimensions, Moschino was able to generate a larger following. At a huge event like the Met Gala, where every label is fighting for attention and a best-dressed title, it is necessary that brands go a step further. Brands need to step up and offer a fully immersive experience for their audience. Just like the Met Gala is offering attendees an experience.

The Met Gala engages with fans through social media and other channels, creating a sense of community around the event. This engagement helps to foster a sense of loyalty among fans and attendees, who are more likely to promote the event to their networks.

The Met Gala has been held annually since 1948, creating a sense of tradition that reinforces its brand identity. By consistently holding the event year after year, the Met Gala creates inherent anticipation for the annual event.

ANYTHING IS A MARKETABLE MOMENT, even a red carpet that leads into a private event. It’s all about intention.

-Méndez

Climb Your Mountain. Reach Your Oceans. ⛰️🌊