CMU School of Drama


Friday, April 09, 2021

HBO Max Targets Gen Z with ‘Un-Fashion’ Installation

www.eventmarketer.com: To promote its new show Genera+ion, the streaming service worked with fashion school students to create looks for the central characters For a series whose premiere episode prominently features a rainbow-striped crop top, using a fashion installation as a marketing vehicle seems more than fitting.

4 comments:

Dean Thordarson said...

I think this is such a cool project. It would have been one thing to just have the installation with older, successful designers, but the fact that they invited students and alumni from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising to design for the installation is really nice. For one, it is great that they are giving this opportunity to students, but also, I think another big note on that is that when you have older designers who are not as in touch with Gen Z, there is more of a disconnect between their perception of us and who we actually are. By allowing members of Gen Z to design an installation aimed at Gen Z, the final result will actually be more in tune to what we would actually look for, appreciate, and enjoy. The image they have has a number of great fits and the overall design of the installation itself looks really great! It has certainly piqued my curiosity and I think I may watch Genera+ion at some point.

Eva Oney said...

This is a really neat installation. I love the idea of merging tv show characters and fashion together. Imagine being able to experience the design of your favorite characters in person. I also think this is a really cool opportunity for the students, and I wish this was more widely practiced. It's both good marketing, and good exposure for fashion design students. The layout of the actual installation is compelling, and I love their emphasis on accessibility. I know this project wasn't meant to be high fashion, but I think it would be really cool to have more accessible high fashion exhibits that are free to the public.

Hadley Holcomb said...

This way of showing fashion to the world is new and creative and I like it a lot. I think that it definitely accomplishes the goal of making fashion more relatable to a general audience and especially to a Gen Z audience. Taking the installations from younger designers is also a wonderful way to help the designers grow while promoting the show. I think that in this way of showing the designs is a great way of expressing the individuality of all parties involved in the designs: the designers, the characters, and the importance of individuality in the show itself. I think that if this show continues to use marketing like this, it will be a definite hit. And I really hope that some of the looks seen in the display make it onto the actual show itself. That would be the absolute best way for the promotion to really be incorporated in the show and it would really help the young designers get recognition.

Megan Hanna said...

I think this is a great marketing choice because obviously it has people talking about the show (and not in a negative way). Personally, I have only heard of the show a couple times but I never knew what it was. I might actually look it up after this. This exhibit is a cool introduction but I’m sure it’s also very exciting for current fans of the show to see new extensions of characters they love. I would love to see other exhibits like this for shows I’ve seen. Additionally as a student, this is such an amazing opportunity for people studying fashion or costume design. Not only is it an amazing challenge to take on to learn more about how to develop a character’s style, it’s also a great chance to get a young designer's name out there. I can’t imagine what it would be like to see your work showcased like that.