Which celebrity has the strongest overall
brand? What makes the brand so strong and what are some of the ways that the
celebrity leverages her/his brand in the marketplace? Which celebrity’s brand
needs to be revamped and why? What are some of the current problems with the
brand? Limit: 6 responses
Ellen DeGeneres may not be in the top ten highest-paid celebrities according to Forbes.com and their 2017 list. That being said, she is ranked as the 16th highest-paid celebrity Greenburg). As a marketing minor, I have learned a lot about branding over the years. For example, a brand can be defined at its most simple definition as ‘association’. A brand arises from what it/who is associated with. For example, I associate Ellen with her successful talk show, her Cover Girl collaboration, her comedy, her role as Dory, her ED fashion line and her way of connecting with people. I don’t know one single person who dislikes Ellen; she hits so many different demographics with her talk show and her business endeavors. That is why I am choosing her as the celebrity with the strongest brand.
ReplyDeleteThe number one highest-paid celebrity is Sean Combs. I am shocked he is number one but soon realized it isn’t for his music but for selling his fashion company for $70 million and for his partnership with Ciroc. He also has numerous stakes in various companies. I believe Ellen to be more exclusive with what she associates herself with. She is tied to Disney and is known for her LGBTQ support as being one of the first females to come out in Hollywood.
Because she is an older gay woman in Hollywood, she avoids controversy unlike many of her counterparts on the highest-paid celebrity list. The Kardashian-Jenner clan seem to have a different controversy every week and although DeGeneres is known to be friendly with the Kardashians she doesn’t define her success in the same way. I find the Kardashians’ branding to be commendable. Starting with a sex tape, the entire family has gained fame and is known for their fashion, their makeup and their wealth. I do, however, believe that they are less picky with what they associate themselves with which makes their overall brand seem less authentic; they’re in this business for the money but I truly believe that Ellen is in this business to make a difference. That is why I think the Kardashian’s branding needs to be revamped. I’m sure many people will disagree but I can’t stand them and am probably a little biased because of it. Their name is attached to so many things which is good for their bank accounts but it makes the public less clear about what they stand for. According to The Outline, they have far more endorsements and sponsorships than anyone probably thought. “For food, there’s Va-Va-Vanilla, a cupcake mix created by Kim, and Couture Pops, a bejeweled lollipop endorsed by Kylie. For shelter, there’s a great swath of Kardashian-branded home goods: bath mats, towels, shower curtains, soap dispensers, tiger-print throw pillows” (Hines). That list doesn’t even include any of their twelve clothing and fragrance lines. In summary, I find celebrities with the strongest brand recognition to be the ones who carefully curate their name with businesses.
References
Greenburg, Zack O'Malley. "Why Diddy Is No. 1 On The 2017 Celebrity 100 List." Forbes, 12 June 2017. Web.
Greenberg, Zack O'Malley. "The World's Highest-Paid Celebrities Of 2017," Forbes 12 June 2017. Web.
Hines, Alice. "The Kardashian Empire is Bigger and Weirder than You Think." The Outline, 28 Dec. Web.
There is no quantifiable way to put into words the answer to the question, “Which celebrity has the strongest overall brand?” Since there is no website that has a “brand-o-meter” we have to figure out what attributes make up a strong brand. If you look online at what makes up a strong brand you will see things that apply to McDonalds or Wal-Mart; things such as, “on brand messaging,” and more of the like. But what about when an individual person is a brand? I would argue the components of what makes an individual person’s brand strong are the following questions. Are they well liked? How well known are they? Do they have a pull that brings people into whatever project they working on, or do they push people away? Are people interested in what they are up to/ how loyal are their bases?
ReplyDeleteIt would be easy to argue that an individual like Logan Paul has the greatest need for a branding re-vamp, but he still has an audience that enjoys his content and supports his content consistently. His 15 million-subscriber fan base is still growing as I write this. (Wakababyashi) I think that the go-to answers for celebrities with weak brands may often be celebrities who have brands a lot of people do not like. But as long as they have a dedicated enough of an audience their brands will be fine. I think the celebrities who have the worst brands are the ones whose careers/reputations are beyond repairing; the likes of a Harvey Weinstein or Woody Allen. Despite how greatly people dislike President Trump he has a strong brand considering how loyal his base supporters are.
All of this being said I think that the celebrities who have the strongest brands are the ones who garner a large following and are still well liked by the majority of individuals who know about them. Not only this, but they are known by the majority of people who are tapped into the celebrity world. There is no one celebrity who has the absolute best branding, but there are a few shining examples. For instance, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is one of the most famous men in Hollywood right now. As of March 17th according to The Hollywood Reporter, “For the 29th nonconsecutive week, Johnson leads the chart, which ranks the most popular actors based on data from Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and Google Plus.” (Rutherford) He is one of the highest paid actors in Hollywood, earning $65 million between June 2016 and June 2017. He is well recognized under two different names/personas. He has a multitude of fans from various different ecosystems from bodybuilding to acting to professional wrestling. He is also beloved by a large portion of his fan base due to his fun loving, over the top, workhorse persona. Said persona has even merited a Vice Article entitled, “Why The Rock Is Beyoncé for Boys,” which is more or less a love-letter to the man. (Colby) For these reasons I believe that Dwayne Johnson has one of the strongest brands in today’s Hollywood: he is known by most and beloved by many.
DeleteGolby, J. (2018). Why The Rock Is Beyoncé for Boys. [online] Vice. Available at: https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/ppxx4z/if-you-smell-what-the-rock-is-cooking-101 [Accessed 6 Apr. 2018].
Greenburg, Z. (2018). Forbes Welcome. [online] Forbes.com. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/zackomalleygreenburg/2017/06/12/full-list-the-worlds-highest-paid-celebrities-2017/#43dfd7749eca [Accessed 6 Apr. 2018].
Rutherford, K. (2018). 10. Michael B. Jordan - Dwayne Johnson Rules Top Actors Social Media Chart for Second Week in a Row. [online] The Hollywood Reporter. Available at: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/dwayne-johnson-rules-top-actors-social-media-chart-second-week-a-row-1095051/item/michael-b-jordan-3-21-1095006 [Accessed 6 Apr. 2018].
Wakabayashi, D. (2018). Inside the Hollywood Home of Social Media’s Stars. (Don’t Be Shy.). [online] Nytimes.com. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/30/business/hollywood-apartment-social-media.html?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=THR%27s%20Today%20in%20Entertainment_now_2017-12-30%2010:30:30_rrahman&utm_term=hollywoodreporter_tie [Accessed 6 Apr. 2018].
When I think of what makes a brand successful, I think of its attributes. What do I associate with that brand and how well can I make the connection between the two. As much as people tend to disagree, I think that the Kardashian Empire has the most successful brand in Hollywood. When you hear the name “Kardashian” a vast majority of the population know who they are. The family has dominated the entertainment and fashion industry with their own TV show, clothing lines, makeup brands, etc. The way I see it is, everything that they touch, turns to gold.
ReplyDeleteThe Kardashian-Jenner family has more endorsement deals than we can count. An article from The Outline really highlights a few of the forgotten projects that the Kardashians have been a part of. “It’s been said many times that the Kardashians are famous for being famous. This is typically meant as a jab, meaning that they’re famous for doing nothing. In fact, they’ve done a great deal of things: cosmetics, clothing, financial products, food, beverages, and downloadable emoji’s. The Kardashians, meanwhile, have made their name into a category. It’s flexible enough to describe such a staggering number of products” (Hines 2016).
What makes this empire so strong is their unity and commitment. If you follow any of the Kardashians on social media, you know that they are consistently promoting their brand in the most personable light. For example, Khloe Kardashian, the youngest of the three sisters is about to have her first child. She is always posting personal content such as “what’s in my baby bag” and “how I’m preparing for labor” articles on her Instagram stories. In order to read them, you have to download her app. On her app is also exclusive content and recommendations from the social media mogul. It is this type of chain cycle that generates Kardashian buzz and keeps them relevant.
The family is also undeniable savvy when it comes to generating a business. According to Diply, “Unsurprisingly, KKW Beauty has done amazingly in the profit department. Kim's contour and highlight kits once sold out in less than three hours, while her perfume raked in 10 million dollars just 24 hours after launching” (Andrews 2018). When it comes to Kylie Jenners brand of lipsticks, “provided documentation that shows Kylie Cosmetics raked in $420 million in retail sales in 18 months. Sales projections for 2017 are some $386 million, which puts the company on track to earn a billion dollars by 2022” (Zorthian 2017).
In order to have a successful brand, you need to know how to properly market yourself and your affiliations. One celebrity brand than I think needs revamping would be Gwyneth Paltrow. Based on the readings for this week, she is in turmoil for falsely advertising “Goop.” Even after furthering researching Good, I am still unsure of what the brand actually is. I can’t really tell if it’s a clothing line, a health blog, etc. When a consumer is unsure of what exactly the person is marketing, that means they are doing a poor job.
There is a clear distinction of what makes a brand successful. When consumers can attribute different products and services to a celebrity’s brand it means it is clear and marketed properly. Unsuccessful brands, however, have unclear messages about the product with poor advertising associated with it.
Works Cited
Andrews, Adelaide. “Kim Kardashian Announced Her New Concealer Line, And People Are Furious About It.” Diply, Diply, 22 Mar. 2018, diply.com/kim-kardashian-concealer-line?publisher=different-solutions&config=25.
Hines, Alice. “The Kardashians Will Be Here Forever.” The Outline, The Outline, 28 Dec. 2016, theoutline.com/post/746/the-kardashian-empire-is-bigger-and-weirder-than-you-think.
Zorithan, Julia. “Kylie Jenner's Cosmetics Brand Is on Track to Become a $1 Billion Company.” Fortune, 10 Aug. 2017, fortune.com/2017/08/10/kylie-jenner-kylie-cosmetics-worth/.
Cristiano Ronaldo has the most influential brand in the world of sports and lifestyle, making his brand overall enormously influential. Ronaldo is the definition of a universal brand. He was born in Portugal playing professionally till he was recognized by one of the biggest clubs in the world Manchester United and purchased by them. Moving to this giant he lived in England learning fluent English while playing for one of the most popular teams in the world no matter the sport. Continued his successful career he moved to Spain where he was purchased by Real Madrid, the most wealthy soccer club in the world for a record transfer fee. On top of all of this, he speaks Portuguese, Spanish and English fluently marketing himself to many places around the globe. Ronaldo also happens to be a physical specimen with his incredible training regiment by being a part-time model outside of soccer. As shown in the Forbes article he has many endorsements that include iconic international brands such as Nike Tag Heuer and Herbalife(Badenhausen). Ronaldo's performance on the field has as much impact on his brand by recently winning the European Champions League back-to-back years in 2016-2017 and also winning the 2016 European championship with Portugal. In the Nielsen report you can see the Champions League final he played in with Real Madrid was one of the highest rated soccer games for all of that year( Nielsen) . Cristiano's brand will continue after her retires because he is one of the greatest to play all time making his face iconic in the sport forever.
ReplyDeleteJohnny Manziel is a celebrity that needs to change their brand. Currently, most people who are adults think he is a lousy role model and is not what people want to see from stars who won the Heisman trophy just like he did. His social media is sometimes can show his childish character with him getting into titter arguments with people as well as videos of him driving around in expensive cars playing rap music extremely loud. I don't see how any endorsement company can look at this and want him to join their brand. He seems too childish for the public eye not being able to take criticism. As per the sporting news article, Johnny was trouble making in the NFL with numerous incidents at clubs partying making it seem to everyone that watched the NFL was that his mindset was party first football second were his priorities in life (Sporting News). This is where his brand has got him today, and it shows that he needs a complete change in the way he acts outside of playing football along with his social media comments that are available to the public.
Badenhausen, Kurt. “Ronaldo, LeBron Top The World's Highest-Paid Athletes Of 2017.”Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 12 June 2017, www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2017/06/07/ronaldo-lebron-top-the-worlds-highest-paid-athletes-of-2017/#4f01e2d44a1c.
Haislop, Tadd. “Johnny Manziel's Antics: 20 Incidents, One Troubled NFL Career.” Sporting News, 29 June 2016, www.sportingnews.com/nfl/list/johnny-manziels-antics-incidents-nfl-career-browns/15v4mnf95yndc1asv20mdixa6s.
Nielsen Sports Year in Sports Media Report 2017
Looking at strong celebrity brands, the first that comes to mind for me is the Kardashians. Mainly, I think Kim Kardashian has the strongest brand out of all of them, but of course Kylie is a close runner up. I would perhaps be remise if I didn’t mention it’s not that they all don’t have good brands, it’s just that some do it better than others.
ReplyDeleteI think it’s easy to say they have a strong brand firstly because they do a little bit of everything (even if that thing tanks). Looking at the article “The Kardashian Empire is Bigger and Weirder than you Think” by Alice Hines for The Outline, we see that there’s not a lot the Kardashians haven’t put their name on from clothing lines, to an array of domestic products, to matches and of course makeup. I’d personally say it’s the makeup they’ve done best (although even that isn’t without scandal). However, while this verges on spreading oneself a little too thin, these early failures pathed the path for their clearly defined beauty mogul image now.
Another thing that I think the Kardashians do really well is humanize themselves. If you’re throwing your name on every product you can, quickly you will be thought of as more of a corporation and less as a person. This is problematic for your brand as it is wholly counterproductive to the point of looking more like a person you can trust endorsing things. Looking at the article “From Drake’s ‘Fortnite’ Obsession to Kim K’s Love of Anime, Stars are Bringing Nerd Culture to the Mainstream” by Emy LaCriox for InTouch, we can see Kim Kardashian’s ‘love of anime’ as a humanizing quality to her. Some people have very heavy preconceived notions about the type of people who love and watch anime, so perhaps it was a bit of a risk for Kim to admit her obsession (not a big risk but a risk), and so it be viewed as a quark to her character which helps humanize her slightly. Another big facture in the humanization of the Kardashians was of course their show and getting to see their daily lives.
However, to look at the flipside of the coin, I would say Kendall Jenner has the worst Kardashian brand, and a bad celebrity image overall. The question is what has she done? I can’t think of much. She models sometimes, maybe. That’s all I know. And that coupled with her multiple scandals like the infamous Pepsi ad really hurt her image. Looking to the article “Kendall Jenner Finally Speaks out about Pepsi Commercial Controversy: ‘I Completely Shut Down’” by Lauren McCarthy for W Magazine we see that Kendall voiced that she thought the ad might be so catastrophic that her career would be over. Well I think that’s a little dramatic, but her career certainly was on pause for a while, can’t personally think of anything she’s done recently. But like I said this certainly doesn’t mean her career is over, she’s a Kardashian after all, I think what she needs to do is just make she going forward she’s honest and transparent and any brands she works with are honest and transparent.
Works Cited
Hines, Alice. “The Kardashians Will Be Here Forever.” The Outline, The Outline, 28 Dec. 2016, theoutline.com/post/746/the-kardashian-empire-is-bigger-and-weirder-than-you-think?zd=1&zi=q66aqngw.
LaCroix, Emy. “From Drake's 'Fortnite' Obsession to Kim K's Love of Anime, Stars Are Bringing Nerd Culture to the Mainstream.” In Touch Weekly, In Touch Weekly, 17 Mar. 2018, www.intouchweekly.com/posts/celebrity-nerds-drake-fortnite-kim-kardashian-anime-156272.
McCarthy, Lauren. “What Kendall Jenner Had To Say About Her Controversial Pepsi Commercial.” W Magazine, W Magazine, 2 Oct. 2017, www.wmagazine.com/story/kendall-jenner-pepsi-commercial-controversy.
If I have to choose a celebrity with the strongest brand right now I would have to pick Beyoncé. Nobody blends all of the different aspects of their person into one brand as well as her and it’s nearly impossible to damage after all these years. Beyoncé was the second highest paid celebrity in 2017 according to Forbes list of the World’s Highest Paid Celebrities (Greenburg) and her wealth only stands to rise in the coming years. The source of her impeccable brand comes from her ten year marriage with Jay-Z that has resulted in a brand the two celebrities have cultivated for nearly twenty years now.
ReplyDeleteBeyoncé even turned a cheating scandal by Jay-Z into a massive branding opportunity that spawned her most critically acclaimed album and endless support and adoration from her fans in the wake of Jay-Z’s betrayal. There are some celebrities where such a scandal could greatly damage them, the fallout after Brad and Angelina for example hasn’t done many favors to eithers brand. Beyoncé and Jay-Z not only survive his cheating scandal but come out on the other side arguably as even bigger celebrities. They each released an album within a year of each other that became some of the couples most successful and acclaimed works yet and now they plan an upcoming tour together that I wouldn’t doubt breaks live tour records. Beyoncé has a fashion line, Dereon, several fragrances, and is a co-owner of the streaming platform Tidal. She has leveraged all of these aspects of her career into such a successful brand that “Beyoncé is also arguably the most influential person on social media. With 22 Grammy wins and an Instagram full of exclusive content, Beyoncé is a deeply influential force in pop culture and commands one of the highest celebrity endorsement rates on Instagram” (Evan) and can now charge companies up to $1 million per Instagram post. This is just one of the ways that Beyoncé has so skillfully crafted her brand.
In contrast to Beyoncé, someone whose brand needs a ton of work is YouTube star Logan Paul. I could go on at length about the various controversies and idiotic decisions Logan Paul has made over the past year. Paul is one of the fastest growing and highest revenue earning YouTube channels right now but his empire may be showing signs of weakness after a seemingly endless string of controversy. The first sign of this is “At the beginning of December, Logan Paul's YouTube channel LoganPaulVlogs had 316 million views. By the beginning of March that had fallen to 168 million views, a decline of around 47%” (Ghosh). YouTube stars more than anyone should know how quickly things can change in the entertainment industry and even a juggernaut like Paul isn’t safe. This huge drop in views correlates directly with the most recent controversies that have tanked his brand, the video in the Japanese suicide forest. Now the article is smart to mention that, “Paul posted only two videos in the entire month of January, as a kind of penance for his actions, before posting around 15 videos in February, and 23 videos in March. That explains the initial steep drop off in numbers” (Ghosh). This helps to explain the initial drop in viewership but the data proves that he hasn’t been able to regain his popularity before the incident. Views aren’t the only thing that are seeing a decline as Paul went from gaining nearly 2 million subscribers in June 2017 he only managed to gain 241,000 in March 2018 (Ghosh). Paul might not be quite done yet as he’s starting a Twitch channel, much to the displeasure of pretty much everyone, and has a series of boxing matches lined up with fellow YouTuber KSI. These events will certainly help but these huge drop offs in popularity are proof positive that you can be on top of the world making millions per month but if you can’t maintain a successful brand that can all come crumbling down.
DeleteEvan. “The 10 Highest Celebrity Endorsement Rates On Instagram.” Mediakix | Influencer Marketing Agency, 17 Apr. 2017, mediakix.com/2017/04/highest-paid-celebrities-endorsement-rates-on-instagram/#gs.UP_V=gw.
Ghosh, Shona. “Controversial YouTuber Logan Paul Is Tanking on Views and New Subscribers.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 7 Apr. 2018, www.businessinsider.com/youtube-logan-paul-is-seeing-big-slowdown-views-new-subscribers-2018-4.
Greenburg, Zack O'Malley. “Full List: The World's Highest-Paid Celebrities 2017.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 21 July 2017, www.forbes.com/sites/zackomalleygreenburg/2017/06/12/full-list-the-worlds-highest-paid-celebrities-2017/#6c70531849ec.
The celebrity that has the strongest overall brand is Kim Kardashian, and the Kardashians in general. Though they lack talent in quite a few areas, they tend to supersede even Beyoncé when it comes to brand recognition. According to MediaKix, Beyonce makes 1,000,000 per Instagram post where Kim makes a meer 200,000 in comparison. However, Kim is far more active on social media. Also the fact that there are multiple Kardashians that have strong social media presence keeps them relevant and continutes to build their brand. Kendall and Kylie Jenner rank as third and sixth top paid on Instagram (Evan).
ReplyDeletePresence on social media is the key in today’s rapid-pace world. You have to stay relevant or get left behind. Kim Kardashian leverages her brand on multiple platforms such as her clothing line “Dash,” her own makeup line “KKWBeauty,” Vogue promo shoots, Calvin Klein promos, “KIMOJI”, and Kim Kardashian: Hollywood virtual gaming app. You name it, and she promotes it with her name attached.
While many celebrities keep their live privatized and separate from the world, Kim puts it on full display with Keeping Up With The Kardashians, posting Snapchat/Instagram stories, and constantly posting pictures of herself and her family to keep followers attached.
According to Refinery 29, “Thanks to social media, the public can follow a celebrity's actions in real time. The Kardashians were early adopters of Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat, developing a wide cross-section of followers ready to lap up their every move. I am one of them. I know all about Kim's obsession with Snapchat filters, Kourtney's sexy nude Mother's Day shoot, and Khloé's endless workouts. I know what salads they like, how tall they are, and what shows they're currently watching” (Cohen). This constant interaction between celebrity and audience is what keeps a loyal following and allows for brand expansion. The Kardashian empire takes full on advantage of this situation, which is something more celebrities can learn from if they want to expand their name.
Snap is currently facing some trouble with their brand. Loyal followers are extremely unhappy with their update that made drastic changes to the layout of the app. Snap is sticking firm on their redesign decision, claiming that it is meant to make it easier for users to access the content tailored to their preferences. After Kylie Jenner, an avid user of Snap and huge public figure, announced that she was no longer using the app via Twitter, the market value plunged $1.3 Billion (Yurieff).
Snap recently came out with a response to the petition to change back the design and said, “We hear you, and appreciate that you took the time to let us know how you feel. We completely understand the new Snapchat has felt uncomfortable for many"(Yurieff). It is important for a company to be responsive to the consumer’s needs because ultimately the consumers hold the power to make or break a brand. Snap is a doing a good job of handling this situation and likely anticipated a backlash. Perhaps the redesign is simply something the users need to get used to and the whole matter will blow over. This will ultimately be determined by whether or not they draw in more users, which is what their intended purpose was.
Works Cited
Cohen, Anne. “I've Never Watched A Single Episode Of KUWTK & Here's Why.” Refinery 29. 6 Sep 2017.
https://www.refinery29.com/2017/09/170430/i-hate-keeping-up-with-the-kardashians-show?bucketed=true&bucketing_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F
Evan. “The Top 10 Highest Paid Celebrities on Instagram.” MediaKix. 12 Apr 2017.
http://mediakix.com/2017/04/highest-paid-celebrities-endorsement-rates-on-instagram/#gs.qqK5YAs
Yurieff, Kaya. “Snapchat Stock Loses $1.3 Billion After Kylie Jenner Tweet.” CNN Money. 23 Feb 2018.
http://money.cnn.com/2018/02/22/technology/snapchat-update-kylie-jenner/index.html