The proof is in the pudding: In 2017, social media is king. Brands are bidding for eyes (which, historically, equals buys) and it has become increasingly important to have a large social media presence in order to reach a newer generation of customers whose shopping habits and experience has shifted drastically from that of generations past.
One instance of this is the social media growth Coach has seen since inking its $10m brand ambassador and designer deal with Selena Gomez in 2016. According to a Wall Street analyst, Gomez has been a huge asset for the company in terms of helping it grow its social presence, touting a 50% increase in followers year over year and an 81% increase in average likes YoY. Posts featuring Selena, of course — namely during fashion week — did particularly well for the brand.
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In addition to social brand growth, Coach’s stock prices increased 2% the day after Gomez’s self-designed bag, the “Selena Grace” handbag, dropped on Sep.13.
The 25-year-old, who is Instagram’s most-followed user with 128 million followers (aside from Instagram itself with 226m), has held the No. 1 spot as “Queen of Instagram” since December 2015, despite even taking a break from the photo-sharing platform when she was diagnosed with Lupus. In fact, her follower count continues to grow with the help of her open-book attitude, increasing engagement by announcing otherwise personal and stigmatized issues–like her recent kidney transplant in August–via Instagram and bringing light to the importance of both mental and physical health. Other celebrities on the top 10 most-followed list include Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber.
While there is still no definitive data on Coach’s overall sales increase since signing Gomez, the solution for brand growth is clear: follow the trend and recruit a celeb with millions of followers.