How Kering dominated the social media conversation at Cannes
The red carpet at Cannes Film Festival is always keenly anticipated by style seekers, but this year the excitement centred more on what the A-listers would not be wearing rather than what they were wearing. Organisers of the event had, for the first time, issued a dress code asking guests not to bare too much flesh and not to wear elaborate trains that would take up too much space and impede the progress of others as they passed along the carpet.
While everyone seemed to abide by the no "naked" dresses ruling, some threw caution to the wind when it came to elaborate trains, with Heidi Klum hitting the headlines for unapologetically showing up in a voluminous pink Ellie Saab gown with a substantial train. But the fashion name that won the social media conversation was Kering.
WeArisma, which helps brands measure and optimise their influencer marketing and earned media, crunched the numbers using its AI-powered tools. WeArisma found that the festival achieved a staggering €316.8m in earned media value, with 6,164 brand mentions, over 209m engagements, and a reach surpassing 2 billion across major press, influencer and social media platforms. Kering, which counts Balenciaga, Boucheron, Gucci and Saint Laurent among its houses, generated 1,206 pieces of content about the night delivering an earned media value of €49m.
How did it achieve that? Not just by dressing high-profile celebrities. Of course, it did dress some of the biggest names in film, but more importantly than that, it leant into the festival's role as a commercial and cultural powerhouse and reaped the rewards.
Kering used Cannes to mark that 10th Year Anniversary of its Women In Motion initiative, which honours the contributions of women in cinema and the arts. The highlight was the star-studded Women In Motion Awards night.
Laurent Claquin, Kering’s Chief Brand Officer said of the success: “We are honoured that Kering’s presence in Cannes has resonated so strongly this year. As we celebrate the 10th anniversary of Women In Motion and a decade of partnership with the Festival de Cannes, we are deeply grateful for this platform which continues to highlight the voices and creativity of women shaping cinema today and tomorrow.”
At the awards ceremony, Nicole Kidman, who is a strong supporter of Balenciaga, was the honouree while other high profile names present included Salma Hayek Pinault, Charli XCX, Paul Mescal, Dakota Johnson, and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.
Gala France emerged as the most influential media outlet for EMV, giving audiences a more intimate glimpse into the high profile event, particularly on TikTok. Kering was featured in 104 posts, generating an earned media value of €33.5m. Deliberately straying from standout red carpet coverage, the local publication captured exclusive behind-the-scenes content, giving the publication and Kering major standout amid the sea of red carpet coverage.
Key pieces of social content included a heartfelt Instagram post from Salma Hayek Pinault celebrating the awards evening, which garnered an earned media value of €637.6k alone.
Meanwhile, Shim Mina, a notable member of the South Korean girl group TWICE, made her debut at Cannes as a Boucheron ambassador, a moment that further amplified Kering’s presence. Her two Instagram posts from the event generated €2.9m in earned media value, an impressive 10.1m engagements, and an engagement rate of 10.83%, underscoring the global, cross-cultural appeal of the Women In Motion initiative.
Jenny Tsai of Wearisma
What this also underscores is that purpose-driven content resonates far more with audiences than pure fashion content, explains WeArisma founder Jenny Tsai. Tsai highlights that in the beauty space L'Oréal achieved similar stand out by aligning its Cannes activity with its Lights On Women’s Worth Award, an initiative spotlighting female filmmakers to address gender imbalance in cinema.
“The Cannes Film Festival is a cultural and commercial showcase like no other. This year, brands that aligned themselves with meaningful, purpose-driven narratives, like Kering’s Women In Motion or L’Oréal’s Lights On Women, saw standout results. These brands demonstrate how to turn cultural relevance into measurable earned media value.” Tsai said.
Main image: NICOLE KIDMAN poses during the photocall ahead of the Kering Women in Motion Talk at the 78th Annual Cannes Film Festival (© Mickael Chavet/ZUMA Press Wire)
