Miss America on stewarding the pageant brand's '2.0' update

Miss America has helped to define the perceptions of women throughout its 97-year history, for better and worse. The Drum speaks to the current title holder to explore how the brand has redefined itself in the #MeToo era – and what that means for its sponsorship opportunities.

By Bennett Bennett-18 October 2018

The Miss America pageant was created back in 1921 as a marketing tactic: it was Atlantic City's last-ditch effort of drawing in beach goers for one more week after Labor Day. For decades, it was a spectacle that involved upwards of 50 women in what looked to be one of the toughest interviews in the world – judged on their looks, their bodies (in evening wear and bathing suits), their talent and their intellect.

This year, the annual pageant was forced to reset everything. A 2017 defined by the beginnings of the #MeToo movement – and, for the Miss America organization, by the revelation of sexist emails sent by past leadership – served as the template for the brand to redefine how it looks to be seen by the world.

'Miss America 2.0', as the organization has dubbed its renaissance, elected Gretchen Carlson as chairwoman of the board of directors in January, and launched a promo to clear up any 'missconceptions' about its purpose. Miss New York 2018, aka Nia Franklin, was named the inaugural Miss America of the pageant's new era.

Franklin’s crowning in September marked the first winner of the title since the organization’s rebrand. Contestants are no longer judged on their appearances as in years past, as evidenced by its decision to cut the swimsuit portion of the competition, and winners are no longer required to wear their crowns in public.

According to the organization, the other change is a mindset: a move away from trying to set a standard of what one should do, to focusing more on providing a platform for what young women could or want to do.

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Franklin, a trained opera singer and composer, thinks of her year representing the brand as a huge responsibility.

“I’m hoping this year to focus on the new, and what that means for our organization going forward," she told The Drum.

Part of the "new" is a revamped focus by the brand to educate audiences on its mission, which is now to empower young women and provide scholarships and mentorships for them. The organization and pageant have been rooted in a somewhat checkered past, but Franklin isn’t fazed by the challenge.

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“We do acknowledge that this competition started off as a swimsuit competition,” said Franklin. “That's still a part of our history, and it's something that we're not ashamed of, but we just decided to move in a different direction and to be more in line with the times that we're in right now."

This mindset, paired with the reach of the organization online and for its annual September pageant, is beginning to draw the interest of brands looking to work with Miss America 2.0 and the woman holding the title. Current sponsors include American Airlines and the broadcaster ABC, however a spokesperson organization has said they’ve been in ongoing conversations with a group of ‘household-name’ brands

The company is putting cross-platform partnership models that engage both TV and social audiences on the table when speaking with potential partners.

“We are open to any like-minded brands who want to help us achieve our mission of preparing great women for the world, and preparing the world for great women," the spokesperson said.

Social media will prove an effective tool for Franklin during her reign, as the organization has lifted its restrictions on its winners ability to speak through her Twitter account. Franklin concedes that running the 'Miss America' handle a well as her own has been a work in progress.

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Nia Franklin
✔
@MissAmerica
Thank you so much Power of You Teens for having me as the Keynote Speaker yesterday! I support all you are doing for young girls in the Harlem community! So glad I was able to be apart of such a dynamic celebration! #upliftingwomen #missamerica ☀️✊