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How Davos Became Ground Zero for Instagram Influencers

Photo credit: FABRICE COFFRINI - Getty Images
Photo credit: FABRICE COFFRINI - Getty Images

From Town & Country

What do you do if Tina Brown invites you to a dinner full of finance leaders at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos—on the night of your 43rd birthday, no less?

When it happened this week to Bozoma Saint John, chief marketing officer of the powerhouse entertainment agency Endeavor, she posted on Instagram: “Hold up. This gathering requires a lewwwk. Lemme slay in my @cushnie @carlycushnie power suit.”

And there she is in her blue velvet glory, standing on the plinth of a statue in a snow drift, in a series of photos and videos that also show her hobnobbing with power players from Credit Suisse and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

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In the influencer algorithm of style x location x powerful friends, Saint John not only nailed it, but may have created an entirely new category: the IMFluencer.

Now that Burning Man has peaked (some attendees find it “self-congratulatory” and “insufferable,” according to the New Republic of all places) and the Sundance Film Festival is “losing its luster with brands and stars” (per the New York Post), Davos is the new pitstop du jour for socially-conscious Insta narcissists.

The annual, four-day summit in a small Swiss town attracts 3,000 of the globe’s most powerful leaders in government, business and industry—and the scores of activists who protest them. It’s where President Trump hangs with German chancellor Angela Merkel and the Prince of Wales, and Jeff Bezos swaps numbers with the likes of Saudi Arabia’s Prince Mohammed bin Salman. (That turned out to be a mistake.)

This week, though, the kinds of personalities who are usually Instagramming from Burning Man, Coachella or the haute couture shows, are also in town, eagerly geotagging the Davos Congress and broadcasting their engagement with social causes. Consider this another sign of the ubiquity of the wellness aristocracy.

The Russian blogger Miroslava Duma, cancelled two years ago over offensive comments on social media, hit the slopes, and some panels, flexing climate awareness for her nearly 2 million followers.

Priyanka Chopra Jonas burnished her brand with a glamour shot using the Swiss Alps as a backdrop, along with a caption promoting the good work of the Global Citizen initiative.

Like Chopra, Julianne Hough stopped by the Equality Lounge, a pop-up that hosts panels and conversations, posed for a picture, hashtagged the hosts, and credited her outfit to Tom Ford.

Natalia Vodianova was there to speak on a panel about women’s health with fellow model-hyphenate, Lily Cole. She posted pictures in the snow which looked like they came from a very chic ski vacation. Lest anyone mistake the Russian model’s motives, however, her official bio on the WEF website states clearly: “Natalia is famous philanthropist.”

Celebrity is capital, of course, even if it is harder to quantify than the funds that put the F in IMF. But it is invaluable in raising awareness for important world causes, and the publicity provided by these Instagram posts would cost millions to buy through other media outlets.

So let’s hear it for the IMFluencers of Davos, who are doing good while looking great, and know all the right people in the world’s most exclusive enclave.

Won’t you follow them on Instagram so they can let you know, too?

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