We’re starting our new weekly column ‘Fashion Reality Shows’ with the most popular Tyra Banks’s ‘America’s Next Top Model’. Let’s look behind the lens. We’re not going to make a fan club here, we consider ANTM as a serious and successful business project.
What do top models do when they stop modeling? They become more or less successful business women, using their gained authority and name as well as rich boyfriends’ money. Some of them establish their own fashion brands and fragrances, others – model agencies. Tyra Banks came up with the brilliant idea of the reality show. “America’s Next Top Model” premiered in May 2003 and quickly became UPN’s highest rated show.
What is it about?
This is a competition where girls from all over the U.S. struggle for the title of ‘America’s Next Top Model’. Each week, the girls face a challenge and a photo shoot relating to a certain theme of the week. The winner of each week’s challenge receives sponsored prizes or extra frames in the upcoming photo shoot. At the end of the week, the girls face the judging panel, who critique each girl’s work. Every week the judges eliminate and send home one of the girls. Only two girls remain in final episode and only one becomes ‘America’s Next Top Model’.
This is not true, actually. No one among the ANTM’s winners became a real top model, most of the girls got their job in TV shows, others work for fashion catalogues or expand their sexuality through men’s magazines. If you’re wondering about girls’ ‘after the show’ lifes, read this article in People magazine as well as this one.
Take the recent gossip about Nicole Fox’s booking by Alexander McQueen. It’s not true, didn’t you know? “The company has no plans to contract the services of Ms. Fox,” McQueen representatives told StyleLIst. “We wish her the best, but have had no contact with Ms. Fox or her representatives.” Karl Lagerfeld doesn’t take this show seriously neither: “Trash that is funny for five minutes if you’re with other people. If you’re alone, it’s not funny. Those girls will never be the next Gemma Ward. There is no justice in the fashion business.” But it doesn’t hinder him from working for the French version of the show.
Sponsorship
Anyways who cares if this show is a real 12-weeks extended comercial that drives crazy young girls around the globe? If we skip the obvious handshaking with Covergirl Cosmetics (3-13 Cycles), Elite Model Management (7-12 Cycles), Elle Magazine (3-6 Cycles), Ford Models (3-6 Cycles), IMG Models (Cycle 2), Jane Magazine (Cycle 2), Marie-Claire (Cycle 1), Revlon Cosmetics (Cycle 1), Sephora (Cycle 2), Seventeen Magazine (7-13 Cycles), Whilhelmina Models (Cycles 1, 13) we’ll discover a huge product-placement stratum. From FMCG to hotels and airlines, just open your eyes. One of the most featured brands in 2007 was that of Glaceau SmartWater because it ran its own national model contest, which tied into the show — “ANTM” contestants were featured throughout the season drinking the products. Talking about hotels promotion, there was a curious incident while the Cycle 10. According to the New York Post, the contestants turned their chic NY loft into a pigsty. “These girls not only destroyed the floors, it appears they had food fights. There’s ketchup and coffee splattered all over the landlord’s $20,000 white drapes. There’s lipstick on the walls,” their source claims. “They moved in furniture and made holes all along the walls.” Their source also claims the damages totaled over $500,000 but Tyra only offered $125,000 to cover the damages.
This show is also a perfect promotion platform for young and/or unknown fashion designers and stylists. These girls even don’t know what Moschino is, but they’re yelping like puppets before some ‘noted’ unknown designer. I didn’t see any really famous international fashion designer in this show except Jeremy Scott in Cycle 11. Ok, maybe I missed somebody. It was also funny to see girls’ excitiment about Kira Plastinina’s appearance in the same cycle.
Who Are The Judges?
The ‘America’s Next Top Model’ judgment panel is the best place to make a public comeback. Janice Dickinson, Twiggy, Paulina Porizkova got the title of ‘living legends’ there. Janice Dickinson even became overinspired by it (but this is the next acticle’s topic). The next Cycle 14 star is…Andre Leon Talley! Hope he’ll prove us that he can not only play tennis wrapped in LV logos.
As of the upcoming fourteenth cycle, the current judging panel includes former model and designer Kimora Lee Simmons, fashion photographer Nigel Barker and irreplaceable Tyra Banks. Previous judges included fashion stylist Nolé Marin, runway coach J. Alexander (he said that he wants to go back into the field with the girls because he feels so many of the girls have busted walks, and his name was on that walk). Photo shoot director Jay Manuel, though not a permanent judge, is featured every episode.
Merchandise
In friendly Walmart you can buy these shorts as well as other branded clothing. There are also branded handbooks and mobile games. Why not?
Self-promotion
To promote the show in 2003 UPN decided to use so called “buzz-marketing”. They resorted to the help of Alloy.com, popular teen site. Alloy’s employees spied on girls’ conversations trying to pick up the leaders and show-addicted persons. Then UPN proposed to those 500 insiders to make a party devoted to ANTM. Of course, their collaboration with UPN was a top secret! This is how ‘America’s Next Top Model’ made a noise in the world.
But let’s return to the year 2010. We’re waiting for the next, 14th Cycle, which takes place in New Zealand and starts on the 3rd of March!
By the way, look at these funny ads created by New Zealand agency Colenso BBDO. Will it be ‘America’s Next Thiniest Model’?;)
Sources: WWD, Wiki, Adme.ru, CW, TopModel LJ
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Comments ( 1 Comment )
val added these pithy words on Feb 05 10 at 11:27 amgood work, really!
