Love Island’s choice of eBay to dress its sun-kissed contestants this season was meant to capture the growing popularity of sustainable fashion. But the usual fast fashion retailers still managed to win the hearts of viewers.
For the uninitiated, the reality dating show is a bona fide hit for ITV, with millions of viewers tuning in every summer to watch a rotating cast of young, hot contestants flirt, fight and show off their style.
That’s made it a coveted marketing moment for brands eager to get bikinis, bodycon dresses and ultra-skinny jeans in front of the show’s largely Gen-Z and Millennial audience. In previous years, fast fashion brands Missguided and I Saw It First have spent millions of pounds to be the show’s exclusive fashion partner, an investment that paid off with strong sales.
But the show has also faced backlash for promoting a throwaway fashion culture. This year, the series is sponsored by resale site eBay, a deal positioned to promote more responsible consumption and reflecting a fundamental cultural shift towards sustainable fashion. Islanders were allowed to bring their own clothes, but used and vintage items from celebrity designer Amy Bannerman were also removed from eBay.
But the presence of fast fashion has still been huge this season.
Although eBay reported an increase in search terms reflecting the pieces worn by the islanders in June, including a “blue PVC top,” “green minidress” and “Poster Girl,” a brand of cut-out dresses, Googling the the same terms bring prominent advertising from retailers such as Oh Polly, Asos, PrettyLittleThing and Cider.
The final episode of this season, airing Monday night, is expected to draw an audience of millions (at its peak, 3 million viewers tuned in this year). Fast fashion brands, armed with relatable products, busy social media teams and powerful influencer marketing machines, are poised to make the most of it.
Riding Trend
The classic Love Island uniform (colorful bikinis and swim shorts by day; nightclub-ready outfits by night) is fertile ground for fast-fashion brands to switch up the product, even without a sponsorship deal.
Brands including Boohoo-owned PrettyLittleThing and I Saw It First, which was bought by Frasers Group last week, dropped ad slots during the show’s ad break and a cursory scroll through their social media pages shows dozens of Tweets, memes and hot posts. in real time as episodes air. Boohoo even ran a £250 voucher giveaway on Twitter during the show’s ad break.
“The reality is that pre-loved ones can’t satisfy the demand,” said Shore Capital analyst Eleonora Dani. “At the end of the day, you’re just pushing certain trends.”
As long as fast fashion brands have something similar to the pre-loved pieces seen on screen, they’re willing to take advantage of it, she added.
Despite no longer being the official sponsor, I Saw It First reported a year-over-year increase in customer inquiries for products featured at the show, such as cords, rubber sliders and cargo pants.
The power of the show as a marketing moment reflects its influence on the new demographic that powers fashion sales. It is one of only four UK TV shows to attract over 1m viewers aged 16-34 this year, according to ITV.
That makes it an important target for brands, even as they tighten advertising spending elsewhere in response to the economic downturn.
“You’re definitely seeing a more precise attitude from online retailers to what they’re prepared to spend on marketing, as the effectiveness has gone down a bit,” said Deutsche Bank Research analyst Adam Cochrane. “That’s what makes things like Love Island perhaps more important, because there are fewer opportunities like that these days.”
This opportunity does not have to come in the form of expensive television advertising spots; Part of the appeal of Love Island is that brands can make the most of their social media channels, producing free content to become of strong cultural relevance to their millions of followers. For major fast fashion brands, such activity generates media influence value, a monetary representation of a brand’s social media performance, in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to data and software firm Launchmetrics.
“We say brands need to find ways to connect with a consumer that feels authentic, to meet them in the space they’re in,” said Alison Bringé, chief marketing officer at Launchmetrics. For brands that get it right and resonate with viewers, the show is “an amazing tool to be part of this cultural moment to push your product.”
Beyond the Villa
For brands and contestants alike, the Love Island effect lasts beyond the season finale. Former competitors, now in the public eye, are snapped up for brand ambassador deals.
“If you look at previous editions of Love Island, [brands] will find some people who resonate … with the UK consumer,” Dani said. “The deal then becomes a race to sign them once they’re out of the cottage.”
The most obvious example of this is Love Island 2019 star Molly-Mae, who was appointed creative director of PrettyLittleThing in August last year, she added.
Analysts say Love Island’s search for influencers is a crucial part of the fast fashion marketing machine that looks set to continue this season.
“The acid test will be when these influencers come out, … let’s see who they go to,” Cochrane said. “If they all suddenly become brand ambassadors for eBay, then maybe it’s fair to say there’s been a shift in mindset, that these influencers don’t want to be associated with brands, but there’s no evidence of that so far.”
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