For a Strong, Extensible Brand, Take Your Cues from These Four Celebrities

When we help Relish Marketing clients build and develop their brands, we start by defining brand as the recognizable experience that happens at any point of contact with an organization or product. A great logo, look-and-feel, tagline, and message go a long way toward influencing and informing that experience. However, successful brand development and extension depend on how those elements embody the brand’s personality and identity – its core brand attributes. And this is most evident when the brand is a person (usually a celebrity).

The truth is that it’s hard to build and maintain a consistent personal brand. This is especially the case when you’re always in the public eye (just ask James Corden and Jennifer Lopez). On the other hand, some celebrities have not only built strong personal brands, they’ve extended those brands into enterprises well beyond what made them celebrities in the first place. Take these four, for example:

You would be hard-pressed to find four more different celebrities. However, four qualities they share help them build, maintain, and extend their brands across a range of enterprises:

• Authenticity: Sure, you could argue that Dolly Parton’s makeup, sequins, and plastic surgery fly in the face of the term. But you would be wrong. I’ve met her and can confirm that her reputation for authentic kindness and intelligence is well-earned. All four of these celebrities illustrate that you can’t just invent the brand attributes you wish to be true. If you set an expectation about the experience of meeting a given celebrity – or engaging with a brand – the reality has to match at every point of contact.
• Business Acumen: We’ve heard the cliche of celebrities so wrapped up in their performances that they ignore balance sheets and business plans. By contrast, Reynolds, Williams, Johnson, and Parton are all known for paying deep attention to the “back office” side of their businesses, asking incisive questions, and insisting on absolute integrity. Obviously, this is essential for any successful brand.
• Discipline and Stamina: The image of celebrity-as-prima-donna is common because often it is true. However, these four performers are known for working hard, not stopping until the job is done. They may have staff supporting them, but with their names on their enterprises, they work to make them succeed. As tennis great Rafael Nadal says of Williams, “She deserves all the things that she achieved because she worked to make them happen for such a long time, with a lot of determination, dedication, discipline.”
• Parton, Johnson, Williams, and Reynolds all deliberately separate their personal lives from their professional pursuits. If you’ve seen Welcome to Wrexham, you’ve seen how Reynolds does it. He’s gregarious, curious, charming, and funny with those he meets, but he only shares carefully selected bits of his family and personal life with the public. Similarly, in curating a brand, it’s essential to set boundaries while remaining true to core brand attributes.

The Big Takeaway for Business Brands

The same qualities that enable these multifaceted celebrity brands apply to any business brand – regardless of whether your goal is awareness, loyalty, advocacy, or business expansion. You may not be headlining any upcoming hit movies or sporting events. But manage your brand like a successful celebrity and you’ll be well on your way to blockbuster brand success.