Ouyang Nana celebrity marketing: Key takeaways
- adidas and VOGUE have given Ouyang Nana creative roles covering music, makeup and red carpet planning
- Her experience with vlogs, exhibitions and concerts gives the partnerships a connection to her wider work
- Behind-the-scenes videos turn the preparations into another source of content for brands and their audiences
Musician and actress Ouyang Nana (欧阳娜娜) has been picking up some new jobs. At Shanghai Fashion Week, adidas brought their ambassador into the preparations as music director and makeup creative director. Then came VOGUE where she helped plan the red carpet. A busy schedule, no doubt.
The appointments put her further into the workings of two fashion events. They also give us a look at what brands can do when they bring a celebrity into the planning process. There’s the finished show, of course. But there’s also everything that happens along the way.
Setting the soundtrack
For adidas’ FUTURE OF THREE show, Ouyang spent months involved in preparations. The event brought sport, fashion, and music together across four chapters, with performances chosen to bring out the character of different product lines.
In the ORIGINALS WOMEN chapter, she selected singer Veegee to show a more powerful side of the collection. Other musicians involved included Yang Yingge (杨英格), TSUNANO and An Yu (安雨), making this a collaborative production with several creative hands at work.
adidas released a conversation between Ouyang and Yang about the thinking behind the show. Afterwards, her vlog and photographs took followers through brainstorming, chapter planning, makeup trials, and rehearsals. Anyone wondering what a celebrity music director actually does got plenty to see.
Anyone wondering what a celebrity music director actually does got plenty to see
This is where the partnership gets interesting. A runway show is about spectacle, a big show. But showing preparations gives brands more to talk about. It also lets audiences see how particular creative choices came together.
A familiar creative streak
Ouyang already has some experience turning personal ideas into public experiences. Her work spans vlogs, concerts and art exhibitions, with visual details often connecting one project to another.
Take Room 1042, a concept she developed for her 2024 art exhibition. Inside were a cello, fireplace and sofa, arranged as a physical version of her inner world. The idea also appeared in her album design and developed its own social media account.
Her work with the electric two-wheeler brand AIMA (爱玛) also fits. In recent campaigns she was given creative control of colour schemes and other design elements to create a personalised, identity driven e-scooter.
All this background gives the adidas appointment some context. Followers who know her visual projects have a reason to be curious about what she might bring to a brand event. The collaboration has an existing creative identity to build on.
VOGUE takes Viewers Backstage
At VOGUE Forces of Fashion, Ouyang became a red-carpet creative consultant. Before the event, VOGUE shared videos of planning meetings and venue walkthroughs. On the night, backstage coverage showed her helping organise photographs, interviews and the movement of guests.
At VOGUE Forces of Fashion, Ouyang became a red-carpet creative consultant
This plays on many of the same strengths as the adidas work, but the benefit here is that her involvement becomes easier to understand. Viewers can see tasks attached to the title. They don’t have to take the announcement at face value.
The Dao View: Giving the title some substance
For brands considering a similar arrangement, the starting point is finding a role that fits. Ouyang has a musical background and an established interest in visual projects. These appointments have a clear connection to her work. Sharing the preparations helps explain that connection to audiences.
It also gives the partnership more material than an appearance and a campaign photograph. How much influence comes with the title is always up for grabs, but showing specific decisions gives consumers something a bit more substantial to follow.
