Commercial Campaigns aka Selling Out

[hanaward]

The modeling industry has always been very picky about this. Models are chosen on uniqueness; which is why you see unique (2nd look) beauty on the runway and in high fashion work, not normal pretty. So do models lose their uniqueness when they do commercial work?

I certainly think so.

Look at Gisele and Karolina. Gisele doesn't have that much of an appeal because of this and Karolina lost out on a LV campaign because of this. Others begin to do commercial work and can't really do anything else.

But what exactly defines commercialization in the modeling world? A lot of models do makeup ads and still remain classy (Erin Wasson).

 

[motaman8165]

isnt it more money

 

[hanaward]

Much more money. But usually models who do commercial work don't have a long run.

 

[marc jacobs addict]

^^ I disagree with that. I think that the key to long success is thorough the mass market campaigns. Look at Carolyn Murphy. She had worked for awhile, then did Estee Lauder.. and is now on the cover of SI. I also think that Gisele and Karolina have a lot of appeal. Gisele is continuously getting covers and covers.. and editorials, and campaigns. Right now she is doing Balenciaga, she just had a Brazil Vogue thing in which I think there were about 30 different covers of her. This month she is on French Elle with a massive editorial. She's also in this month's American Bazaar. I think she gets this much work because she is well known from her commerical works at VS. And the same is for Karolina Kurkova. She still gets a lot of "high-fashion" work. I dont think commerical success is selling out at all. I think it helps to further a models career in both mass media and "high fashion"

 

[PussyLee]

Erin Wasson Classy? LOL. I think Maybelline NY made Erin very commercial in a DrugStore kind of way ( Vons, Ralpha,Albertson, where maybelline NY is normally sold ) same can be said to Adriana Lima.

Carolyn Murphy, is a perfect example of how a product gave a model a certain Class and mystique. We know Carolyn is a trailer park kid and a surfer chick but Estee Lauder transformed her into this Glamorous, very Regal Beauty Queen. Probably this factor to her nabbing the cover of Sports Illustrated mag.

 

[lunabella]

by definition, i don't think models can sell out. selling out IS doing any sort of commercial. . . and all ads are commercials. selling out is if jlo does a commercial.

 

[hanaward]

You guys are missing the point.

There is a difference between Valentino and Victoria's Secret.

Here's an excerpt from Vanity Fair regarding Karolina and a Louis Vuitton campaign

"Karolina Kurkova?" Arnault mutters.
"I find her..." says Mert, searching for the word.
"Common," answers art director David James, a Brit with thick glasses and funky teeth.
"Common," says Mert. "She's done so many lingerie things, and that's made her a little, like, common."

And I wouldn't consider Carolyn Murphy that high fashion anymore. I think it would reduce her rep to do something like SI and Estee Lauder. You hardly ever see her doing high fashion campaigns or walking the runway at Prada, etc.

I do think Erin Wasson is classy. Well at least in her photographs. And she has been able to maintain her contract and still do lots of high fashion work.

Designers seek unique beauty and unique models; when a model is overexposed, there is nothing really that special when thinking about how you want to give your campaign a certain edge.

 

[agathe]

Maybe amongst high fashion gurus.. I have no idea. They might be "selling out", but they have more money and more fame without being replaced with Diane Kruger or Uma Thurman for a Louis Vuitton campaign being a huge problem for them. And, it's not like Gisele, etc don't already have other high fashion campaigns, she's able to juggle Balenciaga and Victoria's Secret.

 

[Nueva]

^^ I disagree with that. I think that the key to long success is thorough the mass market campaigns. Look at Carolyn Murphy. She had worked for awhile, then did Estee Lauder.. and is now on the cover of SI. I also think that Gisele and Karolina have a lot of appeal. Gisele is continuously getting covers and covers.. and editorials, and campaigns. Right now she is doing Balenciaga, she just had a Brazil Vogue thing in which I think there were about 30 different covers of her. This month she is on French Elle with a massive editorial. She's also in this month's American Bazaar. I think she gets this much work because she is well known from her commerical works at VS. And the same is for Karolina Kurkova. She still gets a lot of "high-fashion" work. I dont think commerical success is selling out at all. I think it helps to further a models career in both mass media and "high fashion"

I agree with this. A model's true success is her ability to straddle both the high fashion and mass market worlds. Gisele is still the model's model... any model today could only hope to one day reach the same level of success that Gisele has! Yeah she does Victoria Secret and yeah it is a commercial, mass market gig. But she's still gets the Balenciaga and Valentino jobs too. And if there's any model that can score a magazine cover, it's Gisele! Angela Lindvall did cover girl, victoria's secret... and she's still gets high fashion campaigns like Stella McCartney and Chloe. Erin Wasson too... does maybelline... but also does Donna Karan and Chanel. I don't think "mass market" jobs kill your career... if anything, they enhance a model's career by making them a household name. At the end though, it really depends on who the model is...

 

[morgan38]

I think when a model goes commercial they do become more "common". Now when I see Gisele or Karolina, it never occurs to me to take a second look.

 

[model_mom]

If all the hundreds of models gave up high dollar commercial jobs just in case one of the high fashion campaigns just happen to fall in their lap, 2/3rds of them would be starving. Only a handful of models reach the status where they can pick or choose what jobs they will do. The way the fashion industry is changing faces every season and using celebrities leaves them little choice.

Us guys realise your point but I think most of us know the difference between Valentino and VS and if you take the time to study this forum you will find many members know a lot more than that.

 

[lunabella]

hmm, then i wonder what you guys think about cosmetics campaigns. those are tres commercial. natalia for l'oreal, tasha for covergirl, erin for maybelline, the list goes on. . .

 

[Nueva]

hmm, then i wonder what you guys think about cosmetics campaigns. those are tres commercial. natalia for l'oreal, tasha for covergirl, erin for maybelline, the list goes on. . .

although they may be considered commercial, cosmetics contracts are still considered the brass ring in the modelling world. any model would kill to get a cosmetics contract...
especially in this day and age, when celebrities are even snagging these contract, leaving few slots open for real models.

a model today should be so lucky if she can score a cosmetics contract!

 

[hugobossdaria]

i disagree some models can still be classy and have a cosmetic contract.

 

[Cypresses]

Kate Moss in Rimmel commercial looks horrible.
she has cheap blue eye shadow and bloody red lips.
and for the ppl who knows her form that commercial is going to remember Kate Moss in that way.

 

[motaman8165]

Do any of u consider GAP ads commercial,and what about Victoria Secret. Erin, and liya both make up ads but they also dominate the runway.

 

[Nueva]

I do think that Erin looks like a cornball in the Maybelline ads (not her best work...)...but Tasha and Kiara still look beautiful in the covergirl ads; the photography appears to be of good quality and the girls still look "classy" despite the fact that it is "commercial" advertising

 

[Nueva]

...oh, and I don't think Kate looks all that bad in the Rimmel ads either.... a commercial brand as well, but she still looks cool to me...

 

[brian]

...oh, and I don't think Kate looks all that bad in the Rimmel ads either.... a commercial brand as well, but she still looks cool to me...

she does... i love the rimmel ads

 

[Atelier]

The modeling industry has always been very picky about this. Models are chosen on uniqueness; which is why you see unique (2nd look) beauty on the runway and in high fashion work, not normal pretty. So do models lose their uniqueness when they do commercial work?

I certainly think so.

Look at Gisele and Karolina. Gisele doesn't have that much of an appeal because of this and Karolina lost out on a LV campaign because of this. Others begin to do commercial work and can't really do anything else.

But what exactly defines commercialization in the modeling world? A lot of models do makeup ads and still remain classy (Erin Wasson).

Some of your assumptions, I believe, are way off. Uniqueness isn't as important as uniformity: tall, thin, fits the the clothes and has the right attitude to be a model.

Next there's a difference between the commercial work that fashion models do and the commercial work that commercial models do.

And what's this with "Gisele doesn't have that much of an appeal...?" She's only the most sought-after fashion model on the planet.

I don't know about KK losing out an LV job but I do know this: She makes bucks and that's success.

As for "...what exactly defines commercialization in the modeling world?" that's simply availability both in quantity and price point. Anyone who thinks it has to with quality isn't thinking marketing and business.