Have you heard of YouTuber Jenna Marbles? In a few of her videos, she attempts to sew clothing on an entry-level Singer machine.
If you’re not familiar with Jenna, she is a YouTube star with over 16 MILLION subscribers – recently making headlines for putting on 100 coats of makeup on. I’m not making that up! She’s not someone I really follow, as her videos aren’t really within my realm of interest. They are funny though!
While Jenna is a bit crass, swears a lot, and has quite a few videos featuring herself drunk – don’t underestimate this young woman’s power on the internet. She almost definitely makes more money than you or me, and was smart to get on the online video medium early.
Today I stumbled across a couple videos she did called “Jenna’s Ratchet Fashion Boutique.” In them, she is inspired to make clothing herself. She and her boyfriend go to a fabric store, and I admire her gravitas. She just goes for it. No fear, no skills, just amateur execution.
And I gotta love her for that.
With each video, Jenna is exposing millions of her younger audience to a sewing machine. And that’s something that the sewing industry is struggling to do. Even though these videos aren’t meant to be a legitimate sewing tutorial, at least it’s a start.
Take note, because THIS is how you can attract a new generation to sewing and quilting folks!
If I was a sewing industry exec, I’d approach Jenna to collaborate on a series of funny videos where she learns to sew. It’d be hella expensive, but her tribe is the demographic we need to reach. And what if she LIKES sewing and starts making projects more seriously? That would be dangerous!
This also speaks to the power of online video. Businesses I’ve interacted with seem far more interested in somehow getting a presence on a more traditional platform when they should be focusing on capturing the audience of influencers like Jenna. This is something Gary Vaynerchuk has been talking about for a long time. (In the first video, jump to 18 minutes in)
Thank you Jenna Marbles!
-Jennifer
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