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Nearly a century since the world’s first modeling agency opened its doors in 1923, the present day’s social media craze has amplified the abilities of modern-day agencies to new heights.
While many traditional elements of modeling infrastructure still remain steadfast, including the nurturing of models and the booking of jobs by agents, the rise of Instagram has given a whole new look to the modeling landscape and the role of the agency.
No one understands this better than The Lions Management, the renowned New York City talent agency that’s adapted to the times and expanded into branding, creative and public relations services, utilizing its roster of supermodels and up-and-coming stars in the process.
The agency’s prowess at integrating the modern model into savvy advertising is demonstrated at its best through The Lion’s unexpected collaboration with international package courier service DHL, with the aim of tapping into Gen Z and fashion-oriented audiences — something the agency hosts in spades.
The Lion’s handled production of the partnership’s video shorts from the ground up, creatively directing and outlining the stories told, producing the content, handling the content strategy, and all-importantly providing the talent, including top models Jasmine Tookes and Cindy Kimberly.
One of the most touching shorts created by the team at The Lions featured the agency’s transgender supermodel Valentina Sampaio relaxing at home in New York City during Pride month. The beauty reminisces over photographs of her family and friends back at home in Brazil, while a voiceover states her pride in living her true authentic self.
Soon, a DHL courier arrives, carrying in hand a package sent from Sampaio’s mom through the express service. Once unwrapped, the model finds a t-shirt emblazoned with the word “human” made up of various flags from the LGBT community, which she then dons and wears out to Pride celebrations. The video is simultaneously sweet and succinct, emphasizing the empowerment Sampaio feels in her identity and the way DHL makes human intimacy all that much easier, even from across the world.
In another video dreamed up by The Lions, the ever-popular Russian model Irina Shayk puts together packages for her friends, sending them out for delivery via DHL. The stunner discusses how powerful an impact the women in her life have had on her, including the DHL delivery woman who took care of the parcels with a smile clearly present underneath face mask. Shayk likewise crafted a package for the courier, with a handwritten message reading “thank you for keeping us connected.” In its less than a minute runtime, The Lions’ expertly put-together short taps deeply into the emotions humanity has felt during coronavirus-necessitated lockdown, and DHL’s role in making that isolation feel not so lonely after all.
The Lions’ approach to creating content with DHL has been simple, but effective: taking the authentic elements of their models’ stories and backgrounds to create beautiful ads based on reality and effectively humanizing the shipping experience. While a modeling agency and a package courier teaming up may seem unlikely to many, the fit between The Lions and DHL feels completely organic and natural to all who watch, made evident by the more than 1 million views Shayk’s video received within 24 hours of its posting.
With its earnest and fresh take on package delivery that has eagerly invited in a new generation of loyal DHL customers, The Lions has clearly demonstrated its prowess in not just the provision of talent, but the creation of highly marketable content. With an unanticipated collaboration reaching such huge levels of success, it seems whatever The Lions Management touches, no matter the brand or company, will most certainly turn to gold.
The content featured in this article is brand produced.
