• ABOUT YOU to present the ABOUT YOU Awards on 4 May and celebrate with stars and VIPs from the fashion scene
• Live on stage in Hamburg: Steven Gätjen, Mando Diao, DJ MAD and lots of surprise guests
• Event will be broadcast live to millions of people via Facebook and Instagram

Hamburg, 20 March 2017 – Bloggers, Instagramers and YouTubers are the style icons, movers and shakers of the 21st century. These influencers inspire millions of fans on their social media channels. On 4 May 2017, the online fashion retailer ABOUT YOU will hold the first ABOUT YOU Awards to honour the most creative and influential stars of the scene. The coveted trophies will be presented in six categories: Lifestyle, Fashion, Beauty, Fitness, Upcoming and Idol of the Year. More than 500 specially invited guests are expected to attend the award ceremony at Hamburg’s Mehr! theatre, making it the largest event of this kind in Germany. In line with the nature of the award, the ceremony will not be broadcast in the traditional way on television. Instead, millions of people will be able to watch it on ABOUT YOU’s social media channels via several live streams.

ABOUT YOU is famous for its social media expertise in e-commerce. Since it went live in May 2014, the company has been cooperating successfully with more than 40 influencers – known as Idols – including top models like Lena Gercke and Stefanie Giesinger, bloggers Caro Daur and Xenia Overdose, and the Instagram celebrity Daniel Fuchs. Co-founder and Managing Director Tarek Müller sees ABOUT YOU as a first mover in Germany that recognised the potential of influencer marketing long before the widespread hype, and has continuously expanded it ever since. ‘The ABOUT YOU brand’s successful collaboration with major German influencers is an important part of our company’s DNA. With the ABOUT YOU Awards, we are continuing on our path of supporting individual styles and personalities – both online and offline,’ explains Müller.

Biggest influencer award ceremony in Germany

The ABOUT YOU Awards show will be presented by Steven Gätjen, while the category winners will be announced by stars including Franziska Knuppe, Bonnie Strange and Lena Gercke. A parade of VIPs is expected on the red carpet: in addition to the foremost social media stars with the biggest reach, the attendees will include 500 exclusive guests from leading e-commerce, lifestyle and fashion companies, the media and a host of celebrities. There will also be a transparent voting tool inviting the community to pick their favourite personalities. Between 15 March and 13 April, the public will be able to choose between ten influencers nominated by ABOUT YOU in each of five categories at aboutyou-awards.de. On the evening of the award, the audience will then pick the winners from the top three in each category in a televote. The Swedish band Mando Diao, DJ MAD and several surprise guests will perform live on stage.

Influencer marketing: part of a successful strategy
ABOUT YOU will celebrate its third birthday this year. Working with influencers as brand ambassadors is part of the company’s successful strategy and has been boosting brand awareness and reach since day one. Presenting an influencer award is the next logical step for Julian Jansen (head of Idols) and Chris Nickel (head of Community, Influencers and Social Media), who are responsible for organising the ABOUT YOU Awards. ‘ABOUT YOU isn’t just about posting outfits. We build up an authentic 360-degree world around the influencers and use the right mix of above-the-line marketing channels, social media and on-site content,’ says Jansen.