Vivian Livingston lives a life seen only on an episode of “Friends.” Just 25, she has her own pad in New York, a decent job, a fun circle of friends and knows where all the best shopping can be found.
But don’t hate her because she’s young and beautiful. Follow along because she’s animated and online. In fact, Vivian’s life is an open book, literally, at vivianlives.com. There, you can read about the imaginary character’s adventures at work and in love, and snoop around her apartment while she’s out and about.
There’s also Vivcam, featuring snippets updated as many as 18 times a day, to keep tabs on just what this virtual fashionista is up to. It isn’t always pretty: “I have the biggest wedgie right now,” she sighs while getting a manicure.
Launched a little more than a year ago by Sherrie Krantz, a former public relations exec for DKNY, vivianlives.com generated a record 1.7 million hits last month, primarily among 14- to 30-year-old women. Nearly all of those visitors learned of the site through word of mouth and from a recent promotional deal with Marie Claire–Vivian’s favorite magazine, natch.
“It’s just all about being a woman and what it was like to be a teenager and what it was like to have your first job and what it was like to get your heart broken a million times,” says Krantz. “The bottom line is that the site is designed so people really get to know her–the good stuff, the bad stuff, the funny stuff, the flattering stuff, the emotional stuff.”
Vivian’s is a branded existence, with sponsors for nearly everything on the site: Her guitar is available on Gibson.com, while her Cynthia Rowley boots and Catherine Malandrino dress are both for sale at StyleShop.com. Even her hair-care products are sponsored; they can be found at PaulMitchell.com
While ever present, however, vivianlives.com’s product placement is in keeping with its heroine’s sense of style and thrift. “She’s not a trust-fund baby,” explains Krantz. “She doesn’t blow all of her money on a pair of shoes. She has friends who do that, but that’s not who she is.”
But, adds Krantz, “she’s not Miss Perfect, either. She can’t sustain a relationship, she has no idea how to cook, she struggles with her weight, she’s obsessed with pop culture. She’s not this too-cool-for-school character. . . . She’s very relatable.”
