Vogue Wants to Take Control of Met Gala Red Carpet Live Coverage
The Met Gala is making a comeback and Condé Nast is looking to the event’s red carpet when it comes to trying to get advertiser dollars.
The publisher, which was hit hard by the coronavirus crisis as more advertisers walked away from already struggling print, is attempting to monetize other parts of the business and is eyeing live events such as the Met Gala and the Vanity Fair Oscars party.
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In the case of the Met Gala, E! has dominated the coverage of its glitzy red carpet, but now Vogue — which has long cohosted the star-studded event as Condé Nast has been one of the main sponsors for years — is hoping to take control with new live programming, from the final fittings and last-minute looks to the red carpet, offering audiences exclusive behind-the-scenes access.
Condé Nast, which also publishes Vanity Fair, GQ, The New Yorker and Architectural Digest, is understood to have already started selling opportunities around its live coverage to advertisers, but only time will tell if it can take the crown from E!.
The plan will be revealed Tuesday at the company’s NewFront presentation pitch to advertisers by Pam Drucker Mann, global chief revenue officer, and Agnes Chu, the new president of Condé Nast Entertainment. She succeeded Oren Katzeff, who left the company after the emergence of offensive tweets by him about women and a Mexican waiter.
The presentation comes after it was revealed Monday that Vogue has tapped Timothée Chalamet, Billie Eilish, Amanda Gorman and Naomi Osaka to be cochairs of this year’s event, which focuses on the theme “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion.”
“This year we are especially excited to be putting a spotlight on the incredible creative talent of American fashion,” said Anna Wintour, global editorial director of Vogue and chief content officer of Condé Nast.
Condé Nast is planning to do the same with the Vanity Fair Oscars party, set to return in 2022, giving audiences exclusive access to the live red carpet content. There will also be an expanded portrait series that includes custom video content, and “quick change,” a new series following celebrities from the minute they walk out of the auditorium with their trophy to the moment they step inside the party.
GQ Sports, meanwhile, will be focusing on live coverage around the Super Bowl 2022 lineup.
Away from live events, the company will reveal new programming for Vogue, including an exclusive limited series with Kendall Jenner and YouTube Health that will explore mental health through the lens of fashion. Vanity Fair will also expand into audio with the launch of “Dynasty,” a podcast on powerful families, starting with the house of Windsor.
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