Neon Coat Gives Models and Influencers Free Food And Experiences

An app called Neon Coat has become a key platform for models, influencers, and content creators to get free food, services, and experiences in exchange for sharing a pic or video with their followers.

The Big Picture: Brands are always looking for ways to break through the noise — so by introducing a bartering system with the people who wield influence, they may be hoping that not-so-organic virality can recoup the cost of giving away their products or services for free.

Behind The App: Every brand has an influencer budget these days, so Neon Coat is seemingly just eliminating the middleman.

• Neon Coat operates in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, and London and has been used by over 12,500 models, influencers, and creators — generating over 350,000 posts for participating brands.
• Brands and businesses pay a monthly subscription (typically under $1,000/month) to join the program in exchange for a guaranteed amount of social media traffic from people using the app. Neon Coat says over 1,500 have onboarded.
• Those brands can offer a set amount of specific items, services, or experiences (such as full meals, haircuts, or even axe throwing) for free or at a discount.
• Of course, talent needs to hit certain benchmarks to access the app: models require at least 1,000 followers on IG and a portfolio of work, while influencers and creators need 5,000 followers on either IG or TikTok. All are required to have high engagement.

Final Reservation: According to The WSJ, former model Larissa Drekonja came up with the idea for Neon Coat after moving to NYC from Slovenia to sign with a modeling agency and realizing she really couldn’t afford to be there. The agency gave her a $300 weekly stipend, and she had to constantly rely on her agents and promoters to get free stuff. She figured she could be more entrepreneurial about getting that free stuff and help other young, struggling models do the same.

So, in 2017, Drekonja and co-founders Dan Berger and Noah Siegel launched the platform.

Picture This: As Neon Coat reintroduces a bartering economy in the US, some companies could decide to offer similar perks to marketers, videographers, and even construction workers in exchange for their services.