I’m no fashionista, but I do follow the popular street-style blog The Sartorialist. Scott Schuman’s photographs capture fascinating instances of personal style from around the globe, revealing different ways people adopt and modify trends. Last week, Schuman posted an image titled On the Scene….iPad & Print at Missoni, Milan featuring a man clad in a funky animal print using his iPad during Milan Fashion Week. While the man’s outfit got mixed reviews in the comments, many readers chimed in with enthusiastic words about the iPad.
But the iPad, it seems, is not simply a must-have accessory in the fashion world: It is also revolutionizing the way the industry functions. On Sunday, Jeremy Peters blogged on the New York Times’ Web site about “Glamour Girls,” an iPad-exclusive reality series created by Glamour magazine that follows four fashionable women. What makes “Glamour Girls” unique is that, while also designed to entertain, it ultimately functions as a sales platform for clothing featured on the show. Via the “Shop the Looks” feature, viewers can purchase items worn by characters on the show. If you’re interested in viewing “Glamour Girls,” you can access the show within Glamour’s app for iPad.
While fashion is the first frontier for this new marketing strategy, it will likely make its way quickly into other areas of consumer culture. We’d love to hear your thoughts on the way the iPad is changing the product placement game.