Glossy Pop Newsletter: Why brands are tapping community members as models

July 5, 2024 Mary

For a growing cohort of savvy brands across beauty, fashion and even medical aesthetics, their next campaign model won’t likely be found through an agency, but rather, via social media.

The reasons for this choice are myriad. Some brands want to use the opportunity to engage with members of their community, while others are seeking to find models who truly represent their target customer.

For Nelle Atelier, which launched denim specifically designed for women under 5-foot-4 in November 2023, community casting has been a matter of necessity.

Budget was one element, as casting diverse models, in both size and race, would have eaten up the startup brand’s budget. There was also the fact that an agency’s “petite model” is often 5-foot-6.

“Plus, when I shop online, I have to think hard about how something may look on me,” said Madeleine Cohen, Nelle Atelier founder. “I’m usually six inches shorter and three sizes bigger than the chick in the photo, so ordering something is a crapshoot. I thought, ‘Why aren’t we just working with the customer?’ ‘Why aren’t we helping them?’”

Hill House Home experimented with the concept for its Heritage Capsule, which launched in April. “Our community has always been so important to us,” said Nell Diamond, founder and CEO of Hill House Home. “And one of my favorite late-night activities is stalking our tagged photos on Instagram.” As The Heritage Capsule, which featured new styles in the brand’s bestselling prints, was meant to pay homage to the brand’s community, “it felt right for them to be represented,” Diamond said.

Hill House Home used its store in New York City’s Rockefeller Center to host the community casting after promoting it on Instagram to its 288,000 followers. About 250 people showed up. “We got to meet everyone, take their photos, and hear more about their personal style and relationship with the brand,” Diamond said. The Hill House Home team eventually chose three women to model the collection. Between them, they owned 70 versions of the brand’s signature nap dresses, Diamond said, noting their loyalty. “We took into consideration their stories and history with the brand,” she said. The three models were gifted their “full Hill House Home wish list” as a thank you.

The community casting concept was well-received by the Hill House Home community. Comments on the announcement post included, “*books a flight*” and “Should we wear our fav hill house fit there?! ✨.” Some followers requested a virtual version. Diamond said she hopes to replicate the experience at the brand’s other store locations in Charleston, Palm Beach and Nantucket.

Like Nelle Atelier, Allergan, the parent company of Botox, has used community casting to help potential customers envision its product.

“No [marketing] is more powerful than seeing someone you can relate to sharing their aesthetic journey,” said Jasson Gilmore, svp of U.S. aesthetics at Allergan. The brand first started casting “real people,” a phrase it has used in its Instagram calls for models, in 2022. Through insights gathered via external market research, Allergan found that one of the main barriers to receiving treatment with Botox Cosmetic is a fear of unnatural-looking results. Furthermore, Gilmore said, “We discovered that people prefer seeing treatment results on individuals resembling themselves.”

In a marketing landscape where celebrity endorsements are a dime a dozen, Allergan found that “authenticity holds greater appeal, when it comes to deciding whether to discuss potential treatments with an aesthetic specialist,” Gilmore said. When Botox Cosmetics called for interested parties to apply to be the next face of its brand, it received about 20,000 submissions. This led to the brand creating a campaign that featured a diverse group of patients sharing their reasons for seeking treatment.

“This campaign not only enhances trust and reliability, but it also offers transparency about our products,” Gilmore said. ‘Such openness is key to genuinely engaging with our consumers.”

For its part, Argent, founded in 2015 and known for its modern women’s workwear, has consistently included its community in its content with a monthly series called Peer Recognition, launched in October 2023. The franchise allows women to nominate co-workers or friends they admire to be featured by Argent. Argent then flies the women to New York, where they are treated to a photoshoot and hair and makeup services, and gifted an outfit from the brand. They are then featured on its social media and website.

“[Women] have a tendency to keep our heads down and really focused on the work,” said Sali Christeson, founder and CEO at Argent. “So we wanted to [spotlight] them.”

In considering nominations, Christeson’s editorial team prioritizes diversity and timeliness — it seeks to ensure that the women work across different industries and age groups and that their work intersects with timely conversations in the cultural landscape. Recent examples include Aisha Adkins, manager of training at the non-profit Caring Across Generations that supports caregivers. Adkins was nominated by actor and Argent fan Yvette Nicole Brown. Argent has also featured screenwriter Talisa Chang, and co-founder and CEO Tammy Tibbetts of the girls’ education non-profit She’s The First.

Rather than sales or even brand awareness, Christeson said the purpose of the campaign is to deliver on the brand’s mission. “It’s values-driven,” she said, adding that it often provides information about how these women achieved success in their careers. “This content delivers on who we are and what we stand for. … We think telling stories like these is the path to gender equity.”