Celebrities’ Success with Personal Brands
Published on February 3, 2021, at 11:15 a.m.
by Kendal Lambert.
Celebrities have used their platforms to promote their brands for years; it is not a new strategy. Highlighted below are three top celebrity-owned brands and how they have managed to successfully market their products to their targeted audiences.
Goop
Launched: 2008
Founder: Gwyneth Paltrow
Goop is a wellness and lifestyle brand that carries a wide range of products. Its website reveals a clear connection between the brand and Paltrow. She can be seen modeling G. Label, her clothing line exclusively for Goop.
Goop has fallen to some criticism in the past. The brand had a couple of lawsuits resulting in negative press. One lawsuit questioned if the products it was selling were safe for individuals. The brand has also been known for recommending treatments that medical professionals say are unsafe.
The company decided to take matters into its own hands and release a six-part series titled “The Goop Lab with Gwyneth Paltrow” on Netflix. The series premiered in early 2020.
This strategy based on transparency was a great public relations move for the brand. It allows individuals to see the company and its employees from the inside and maybe even debunk some of the untrue headlines. The series also pulled in a new consumer base. The target audience for Netflix would have never aligned with Goop if this collaboration did not happen.
Kylie Cosmetics
Launched: 2015
Founder: Kylie Jenner
This multimillion-dollar beauty brand has become a household name since its founding, mostly because of its owner. Jenner has a whopping 202 million followers on Instagram alone. Having this type of following makes the perfect formula for success.
The makeup brand almost exclusively promotes its products on social media. Jenner posts on social media, showing sneak peeks and exclusive looks of her products, ultimately seeing what her consumers like before she makes them live on her site; talk about a free focus group.
Jenner has since sold 51% of her company to Coty Inc. for $600 million. Jenner continues to post about launches and products, therefore driving sales.
Pattern Beauty
Launched: 2019
Founder: Tracee Ellis Ross
Tracee Ellis Ross has a pretty impressive résumé; the actress turned entrepreneur has starred in multiple hit TV shows, won a golden globe and is daughter to a music icon.
The vision of the hair care brand is “May we embrace, love and celebrate our community & the gorgeous hair we have.” Ross’s mission is for individuals to feel comfortable in their natural hair.
The idea for the hair care line came after Ross frequently had to do her hair on set because few knew how to style her gorgeous locks.
Ross is an inspiration for Black women and men. By starting this brand she was able to tap into the target audience she already had since the start of her career.
Since being released in major retailers, this fairly new brand has received an abundance of press. It also does not hurt that Ross has a major following on social media.
With 2020 coming to an end (finally) these trends and tactics are here to stay. I cannot wait to see what new brands celebrities release in the years to come.
