The new Amazon Prime series “Making the Cut” is not just a new reality show. It combines streaming with online shopping and shows already now what the future of streaming could look like.
On the one hand, it is so obvious and plausible that you ask yourself: “Why didn’t anyone think of this before Amazon?”
On the other hand, few other streaming producers can do what Amazon Prime is currently doing with the TV show “Making the Cut”: offer viewers an entertaining reality series – and at the same time encourage them to shop on their own website.
This is what’s behind “Making the Cut”
Granted, this probably only applies if you are interested in fashion and can stand Heidi Klum on TV. Because “Making the Cut” is a designer competition that the German model developed. International fashion designers compete in the show to become the next big global fashion brand.
To do so, the applicants have to complete a new task every week and as a result create a mini-collection for a fashion show. This always includes a look that is “suitable for the masses”.
After each fashion show, the jury (models Heidi Klum and Naomi Campbell, fashion designers Nicole Richie and Joseph Altuzarra and Carine Roitfeld from Vogue magazine) will judge the fashion. Whose clothes are not good enough, flies. Among other things, the winner will receive one million US dollars.
But – and this is the exciting thing – there is also a winner after each challenge. The outfit suitable for the masses can be bought directly on Amazon in the “Making the Cut Store”.
If the series reminds you of Heidi Klum’s longtime US show “Project Runway”, you are not wrong.
After failed salary negotiations with the channel “Bravo”, Heidi and with her also the concept she developed changed to Amazon Prime. Here it is not only an entertaining show for the lockdown period, but also shows what the television of the future will look like.
Perfect for the current streaming trend
Even though the show was not specifically designed as a #StayHome activity, it still works very well these days.
It is certainly not the best fashion show ever. But it’s still worth seeing and there’s really something special about it if you can order the clothes of your favourite designers of the series directly from Amazon.
And it has something else: It shows us a time before Corona, when you could still walk carefree through the streets of Paris, hug people and travel very easily. So if you need a little break from Corona, you will find a small oasis here.
But beyond that, the concept is simply brilliant marketing for Amazon. In the online shop of the series you will not only find the winning looks, but also many suggestions on how to combine the look with other clothes or accessories.
So Amazon can sell you other products that go beyond the show.
And there’s also something else in it for the participating jurors. The two fashion designers Nicole Richie and Joseph Altuzarra can use it to market their two fashion lines “House of Harlow” and “Altuzarra” in a particularly prominent way.
Because of course you can also buy their products in the “Making the Cut” shop on Amazon.
As show okay, as marketing concept brilliant
The conclusion of the show is very ambivalent. Is the show worthwhile? The entertainment value is okay, but it is far behind the level of “Project Runway”. It’s clear that the original by Heidi Klum is much more intoxicating.
But when it comes to the business aspect, “Making the Cut” is very clever: captivate the audience with a product that they can buy immediately.
It’s also packaged discreetly enough so that it doesn’t look too annoying – and the viewers are really interested in fashion. Most of the looks from the show, for example, are already completely sold out.
So why not extend the concept to other series and movies?
For example: You watch an episode of “Friends” and think “Joey’s leather jacket is really cool”. So why shouldn’t you be able to buy Joey’s jacket directly? It may sound like a futuristic idea, but there is already technology that is designed to do just that.
TV and online shopping will therefore certainly merge even more in the future. “Making the Cut” is just the beginning.
