The brilliant marketing behind the Met Gala PR hoopla…
The Met Gala is known for raising millions of dollars for charity each year. The event is supposed to be a fundraiser for the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, with proceeds going towards the museum’s exhibitions, acquisitions, and conservation efforts. In recent years, the event has also put out support for other charitable causes, such as the fight against HIV/AIDS and efforts to promote inclusion in the fashion industry. While the exact amount of money raised by the Met Gala each year varies due to factors like ticket sales, sponsorships, and donations, the amounts in discussion are substantial. In 2019, the Met Gala reportedly raised over $15 million, which was a record-breaking amount for the event.
Yet, as a regular joe with your regular Instagram and google new feed, you would feel that the Met Gala is an event just about fashion and celebrities. That is an outcome of its structure, and a case study of remarkable marketing.
First lets get familiar with the organizing structure. The Met Gala is organized and hosted by the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. The Costume Institute, is dedicated to the collection, preservation, and study of costumes and fashion history. Now, while the Costume Institute is responsible for organizing the event, the Met Gala is also heavily influenced by the co-chairs and event chairs who are selected each year. They basically shape the theme and overall vision for the event.
Anna Wintour, the Editor-in-Chief of Vogue, has been a driving force behind the Met Gala for many years, and is often credited with turning it into the high-profile fashion event that it is today. She has served as the event’s co-chair since 1995, and has helped to attract a wide range of celebrities and fashion industry insiders to the event over the years. So Yes, Vogue has a business interest in the Met Gala, as it is one of the co-organizers and sponsors of the event. Wintour is also the artistic director of Condé Nast, the media company that owns Vogue, and has used the Met Gala to promote the magazine and its brand. The event also serves as a platform for promoting fashion and the fashion industry, which is a key part of Vogue’s editorial mission. As a result, the Met Gala is an important business and marketing opportunity for Vogue, as well as a cultural and artistic event.
This business interest seems to justify the general criticism that the event ends up promoting an unrealistic and unsustainable image of fashion and beauty. This is eventually done by using international celebrities to emphasize extravagant and often unattainable outfits that perpetuate harmful standards of perfection and body ideals. It is also often criticized as being overly exclusive and elitist, with ticket prices reaching tens of thousands of dollars, which limits access to the event to only the most privileged and connected members of society.
Eventually, this seems to be yet another story of the sad degringolade’ of a worthy charitable cause into a platform for hire. But for now, I am scrolling through my insta feed featuring celebrities at the met and saluting the brilliant marketing behind it all!
