Dior Won the ‘Fashion Olympics’ With Lady Gaga, Celine Dion Placements: Launchmetrics Report
PARIS — If the Summer Games in Paris were dubbed “the fashion Olympics,” Dior was the gold medal winner, according to a report from Launchmetrics measuring media impact value (MIV) during the event.
The brand garnered $53 million in MIV throughout the games, with much of it generated by Celine Dion and Lady Gaga wearing the LVMH Mo?t Hennessy Louis Vuitton-owned brand during the opening ceremony.
More from WWD
Can a Book of Beautifully Curated Images Change the Public's Perception of Fashion?
Ralph Lauren Releases 2024 Global Citizenship and Sustainability Report
Dion’s appearance garnered $20.5 million in MIV alone, while Gaga’s custom gown from the house brought in $13.7 million. French singer Yseult’s closing ceremony Dior suit and hat added another $1.8 million to the brand’s two-week tally.
LVMH’s premium partnership with the Olympics raised the bar for fashion brands, as well as the profile of its own houses. The strategic positioning of its brands in varied settings proved to be a winning play, with six of its labels sticking the landing in the top 20 fashion, lifestyle and beauty brands as measured by MIV during the Paris Olympics.
For example, the conglomerate’s Berluti designed Team France’s opening ceremony uniforms, which garnered acres of traditional TV and newspaper coverage, generating $3.6 million in MIV.
LVMH’s Sephora also made the list, demonstrating the strategic and experiential marketing of its brands by installing pop-up beauty stations around event venues and bringing in $2.9 million in MIV.
MIV is Launchmetrics’ proprietary measurement formula which quantifies audience engagement, industry relevance, source authority and content quality.
The Olympics’ overall media impact totaled nearly $13 billion, with fashion brands taking most of the top spots. Athletes played a key role in driving performance for brands.
Ralph Lauren made a major impact dressing Team USA, outfitting the closing ceremony stunt by Tom Cruise as well as through musical performances.
Lauren’s famous polo on gold medal gymnast Simone Biles was the top placement for the brand with $2.7 million in MIV, while its placement on Cruise as he rappelled from the roof of the Stade de France to capture the Olympic flag garnered $1.7 million in MIV.
H.E.R. singing the American national anthem from Paris earned $1.3 million, and the brand’s slouchy striped polo shirt placement on Billie Eilish performing from Los Angeles boosted its impact by an additional $1 million.
Other brands that performed well were Adidas and Nike, which were neck-and-neck with $41 million and $40.9 million respectively, due to their athlete collaborations; Louis Vuitton, the flagship brand of official sponsor LVMH, which outfitted the medal ceremony presenters, and official timekeeper Omega, with $6 million, much of it through its Omega House pavilion.
Brands that leveraged unique social media strategies like intense influencer outreach and use of brand ambassadors through their owned media made the biggest impact.
Though Oakley was the official sponsor of Team USA eyewear, there was minuscule impact from that association. Instead, its $6 million worth of MIV came from launching its campaign with French soccer superstar and Real Madrid player Kylian Mbappé, whose visible absence from Team France was much buzzed about during the games.
The campaign release earned $317,000 in MIV, while the other major contributor was the brand’s collaboration with influencers who shared content across their own channels and engaged their pre-existing fanbase.
The sunglasses brand worked with Colombian musician Feid and Brazilian comedian Thiago Ventura. One collaborative post on Instagram with Feid was valued at $373,000 in MIV alone, a 38 percent increase from the company’s average monthly post.
Kim Kardashian’s Skims rounded out the top 20 performing brands as the official sleep-, under- and loungewear partner of Team USA. The brand opened a pop-up called the Team USA Welcome Experience in Paris with specialized merch inspired by the Olympics, with everything from bags to boxers on offer.
Celebrities made an impact too, with athletes garnering attention in new ways. American Ilona Maher made international headlines and earned $20.5 million in MIV following a post in which she addressed critics of weight. The rugby player leveraged the buzz and is now appearing on “Dancing With the Stars.”
NBC commentator Snoop Dogg’s staged “stealing of the torch” video was the buzziest piece of content during the three weeks, earning $3 million in MIV for the TikTok viral video.
Best of WWD
Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
