There's no shortcut to becoming a popular and successful brand; celebrity brands are no exception.
In the new celebrity brand landscape, the products and services come first, making the industry evolve beyond fame.
We've seen today's celebrities and popular influencers carve out their entrepreneurial path, not merely endorsing other people's products.
While there is an inherent advantage when celebrities lend their positive image, credibility, and network of engaged followers to the brand, not all fame in the world can help the company soar high.
What makes a celebrity brand work beyond the face and the name?
Combining star power and a well-aligned marketing approach can be perfect.
This article will uncover top celebrity brands' marketing strategies to thrive in a competitive market.
- 7 Effective Marketing Techniques from the Best Celebrity Brands
- Make sure your value proposition is clear
- Put the muse/founder forward and showcase the use of their products
- Offer personalization
- Show how your products reflect your founder's tastes and values
- Focus on quality and highlight what sets your products apart from others
- Leverage technology and new online sales processes
- Create communities and promote charities
- Frequently Asked Questions
- What are the advantages of having a celebrity founder for the brand?
- What challenges do celebrity brands face concerning their fame?
7 Effective Marketing Techniques from the Best Celebrity Brands
Make sure your value proposition is clear
Your brand's value proposition is more than just a catchy phrase; it is the essence of what your products can offer to the audience.
While it is true that celebrity brands have the innate power to capture audience attention and the star power to encourage desired action, it is the value proposition that sets you apart from the competition. To convince potential customers to buy your products, a clear and well-communicated value proposition is a must.
It can be a challenge for celebrity brands to make their brand messaging stand out. It's because people can be overwhelmed by the fact that the brand is owned by a famous person they know, follow, and idolize.
Therefore, they need to find an effective way to convey their brand's offerings.
Crafting an email newsletter can be an excellent approach.
LolaVie's email campaign focuses on its commitment to excellence in providing haircare that's good for the planet too.
In this email, they’re able to communicate their value proposition by sharing a complete overview of what their brand offers and the values they uphold, highlighting the natural and cruelty-free ingredients, science-backed processes, and an inclusive formula for all hair types.
Here, we can also note the use of compelling banner text using the strong word "commitment" and a relatable situation "bad hair day".
Similarly, JLo Beauty crafts an engaging email to deliver its brand's unique selling point.
What makes this email effective?
It serves both as an educational guide to skin concerns that come with each decade of life and as a means to promote their solution.
Using decades (30s, 40s, 50s, and 60s) can also be a better way to present different age groups as it's easily digestible to the audience.
Put the muse/founder forward and showcase the use of their products
Leveraging one's celebrity status is one of the most common yet powerful ways to drive conversions for brands owned by famous personalities.
People are interested in how celebrities achieve their signature look. Some would think that celebrities have a secret they want to be revealed so they can apply it to themselves as well.
By personally endorsing their products, celebrities can form credibility and boost their brand's visibility given their wide base of established audience.
Oftentimes, they promote the product by infusing it with their unique qualities such as elegance, radiance, and inspiration. By doing so, they can easily grab attention and draw interest in the product.
This email from SKKN by Kim features Kim Kardashian, the founder herself, and her envied skin while promoting her skincare and makeup line. She shares a few thoughts encouraging everyone to prioritize having a good skincare routine.
This email with the subject line, "The Secret To Smelling Like Jennifer Aniston" answers a buzz about the famous star while promoting haircare fragrance through LolaVie’s collection.
JLo Beauty puts its muse forward with this video ad, in which we can see Jennifer Lopez herself putting the cosmetic product on her face.
She further convinces the audience by saying that there's not a day that she doesn't put the cream on, implying the importance of the product to her daily beauty routine.
Offer personalization
We've seen beauty brands empower customers to look and feel their best.
One of the ways in which they encourage individual approaches to beauty is by offering customizable products. It invites a personal touch and expression of unique preference and style.
Rare Beauty recognizes that people are naturally drawn to customizable products and shares a step-by-step guide to building their personalized routine.
While it’s typical for people to follow a beauty routine such as that of the founder Selena Gomez, it can also be great to showcase a different angle like being unique and embracing individuality.
This way, consumers have more options and are not just bound to copying the star's signature look.
Show how your products reflect your founder's tastes and values
The best celebrity brands leverage a star's genuine brand love to promote the products they actually use. This is where authenticity plays a pivotal role in enhancing the brand’s appeal.
The products created by the brand R.E.M. Beauty reflect the personal style and values of the founder Ariana Grande.
This newsletter accentuates Ariana's iconic makeup style as seen in one of her hit music videos. Seeing her wear the same style in the video adds a layer of genuineness.
People trust the brand more when they see that the endorser proudly uses its products. The customers must see how consistently the products reflect the personal taste and standards of the celebrity. It gives them more confidence to try them out for themselves.
This ad from JLo Beauty shares how one can have the coveted Jennifer Lopez' glowing skin from a customer's experience of using the products.
Focus on quality and highlight what sets your products apart from others
Being a celebrity alone may not be enough to convince your audience to buy your products.
To distinguish their products from the competition, celebrity brands must ensure transparency regarding their formulations. This kind of honest communication builds trust with customers and helps them make informed decisions about the products they purchase.
KORA Organics exemplifies this approach by sharing detailed information about the ingredients used in their skincare products.
This gives confidence to the customers that the products they put on their skin are of safe and ideal composition.
The same goes for their video advertisements on social media.
Here, they set their products apart by promoting clean beauty and the amazing effect of using their products as stated by the model.
Leverage technology and new online sales processes
Today's customers often find the traditional, in-store shopping experience inconvenient and time-consuming.
Thankfully, companies have started embracing innovation not just in their products but also in the shopping process.
One of the widely used technologies that makes purchasing seamless is the so-called virtual try-on. This feature replicates the in-store fitting experience using augmented reality and machine learning or AI.
The AI gives a complete look at the product along with its dimensions and features, helping the users to make a confident purchase.
As a bonus, a virtual try-on also reduces the amount of product returns because the consumer has tried the product on themselves before making the decision.
KVD Beauty and Fenty Beauty make a virtual makeover possible with the virtual makeup tool.
Through these emails, they're able to showcase a convenient way to find a perfect makeup shade for them by following a simple guide.
Create communities and promote charities
Many celebrities use their voice and influence to make a difference in the issues they care about. Some would extend their advocacy to their personal brand, connecting their network on a deeper level.
Rare Beauty utilizes their newsletter to spread the word about its founder's commitment to mental health awareness.
In this email, they introduce a virtual space they call the "Comfort Club" where individuals can join and connect with other members.
Aside from building a community, Selena Gomez has also founded a charity called the Rare Impact Fund that envisions all young people have access to mental health care.
In one of their Mental Health Awareness Month campaigns, they encourage the customers to make a purposeful purchase to support the organization.
On a similar note, Haus Labs uses its newsletter as a platform to promote the charitable institution established by the brand's founder Lady Gaga.
Here, they share updates about the accomplishments of the Born This Way Foundation over the past year and thank the customers for their purchases that made these achievements possible.
By highlighting the charitable aspect of their business, these brands empower customers to feel good about their purchases.
Celebrity brands capitalize on the celebrity’s fame, influence, and public image to capture the audience's attention and build positive associations with the brand.
It is a robust advantage but it can also trigger skepticism about the products.
Consumers might ask: Is it a popular brand just because of the famous person behind it; or is it worth trying because of the product’s quality and benefits?
With well-crafted marketing tactics, companies can mix up both fame and the brand’s promise to drive beneficial results.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the advantages of having a celebrity founder for the brand?
The fame associated with celebrity can boost brand awareness and increase trust and credibility for the brand. They can also tap into the celebrity's huge network of engaged audiences when introducing their products.
What challenges do celebrity brands face concerning their fame?
The negative publicity about the celebrity can significantly affect brand image and sales. Celebrities can also overshadow the brand making the consumers focus on the celebrity, not the products.