The Power of Rebranding

Published on September 23, 2020, at 7:15 p.m.
by Caroline Ladd.

Celebrities are constantly rebranding themselves for many reasons, such as staying relevant in the entertainment industry or highlighting their own personal growth.

Taylor Swift has become the master of rebranding herself. She has used many of her albums to help define different times of her life during the albums’ releases. This tactic was blatantly obvious when her following realized she was now in a healthy, happy relationship with Joe Alwyn. Swift did a complete 180 from her album “Reputation,” released in 2017, compared to her 2019 album “Lover.” According to Grazia, it was a remarkably powerful move on Swift’s part. Swift did an admirable job demonstrating that her new brand was all about her newfound love and happiness in her life with her first single release of “Me!”

Using the strategy of rebranding, celebrities are more likely to appeal to new demographics of people, allowing them to become more successful than before. Sometimes, the rebranding is necessary for a positive change in a celebrity’s reputation, or because they are just in need of a new vibe to maintain relevance in the media.

Many celebrities have used this approach to their advantage — two being Kim Kardashian and Justin Bieber. Both of these celebrities at some point had been in the spotlight for reasons they were not proud of. Kardashian used her fame to turn her family into a multi-million-dollar business over a few years through proving that she was serious about her public influence and a lot smarter than she was given credit for. Bieber used his mistakes to take a well-needed break and came back with a new image for himself to build on. Over the last year, Bieber’s new music has been successful as it reflects on his newly low-key lifestyle with his wife. Bieber is now very open about his religion and released music on that part of his life, too, with his new single “Holy.”

While rebranding is important not only for celebrities when their reputations take a downward spiral, it is also important for them to make sure that they are staying relevant in the public’s eye. This strategy has proven a major part in celebrities’ success, and will be something that public relations practitioners can enjoy watching as many different public figures continue to take advantage of rebranding.