Monday Mashups: YouTube Stars Prep for Prom

It's totally prom season and retailer Journeys and sneaker brand Converse want to help teens break out of those old-school traditions of tuxedos and corsages by trading in the high heels and dress shoes for a pair of Chucks. BizBash shares how!

For the second year in a row, Nashville-based marketing agency FlyteVu worked with the two companies to create the Off to Prom experiential event. The goal of the activation for Journeys and Converse is to participate in the prom conversation among teens in a useful and creative way. They wanted to get teens ready for prom and encourage them to think about how to flip outdated prom traditions and, of course, consider rocking Chuck Taylor All Stars with their prom outfits.

The afternoon event took place at the YouTube offices in New York on March 22 and featured three rooms designed around the idea of prepping for prom. YouTube stars LaurDIY, beauty vlogger Hailie Barber, and dancers and choreographers Michael Le and Analisse Rodriguez were on hand to assist attendees. For example, Le and Rodriguez taught the teens dance moves in a disco ball-decorated room, while Barber and a local glam squad offered mini-makeovers, along with beauty and grooming tips.

Plus, attendees received a pair of Converse sneakers that they could personalize on site at the Converse By You station, with help from do-it-yourself specialist Lauren Riihimaki, a.k.a. LaurDIY.

Recruiting YouTube stars to participate in a teen-centric event seemed like a natural fit for Journeys. They wanted to meet teens where they are, and these days—based on studies and data—YouTube is the preferred platform for that demographic. Knowing this, Journeys thought there would be no better place for this activation than YouTube Space New York, which is a space generally not open to the public, so it offered an exclusive environment for the event. They also wanted to give attendees access to their favorite YouTube stars in a personalized way. Rather than a classic meet-and-greet, they got to interact with these stars in a hands-on format, focused on key elements of prom.

The event, which was promoted through targeted social media posts and on the YouTube stars’ social channels, was free to attend via R.S.V.P.; attendees had to be high school students between the ages of 14 to 19.

What a way to engage our future influencers. We can't wait to see how Journeys and Converse devour the details of the new era prom next year and for years to come!