There is little doubt that we are firmly entrenched in the celebrity brand boom across all consumer product goods — and quite frankly, it shouldn’t be surprising to anyone. Celebrities have always been one of the most impactful drivers of consumerism in America. We love our celebrities! We follow them, cherish them, take sides for them, believe in them, live through them and trust them. Celebrities are our escapism, and with that level of influence on our lives comes the very real truth that they are incredibly impactful sales drivers.
From Marilyn Monroe to Michael Jordan to Martha Stewart, celebrities have helped develop or promote some of the biggest brands in the world. While I hope my own celebrity partners, like Gabriel Macht on Bear Fight Whiskey or Kenny Chesney on Blue Chair Bay Rum, can create the same level of adoration that scales a brand to incredible heights, there are four key factors to maximizing a celebrity-backed brand’s success:
• Brand and Business Ownership. Your celebrity partner needs to treat the brand as their own! This brand needs to be thought of as a long-term value driver and something to be curated for years.
• Consistent, Effortless Content and Engagement. When one of our partners has one of our products as a part of his concert tour, in his social media and on his radio show on a daily, weekly, monthly basis, he is showing how effortlessly content can be created around the brand in a consistent manner with very little lift. The more you can partner with someone who can seamlessly integrate the brand into their current ecosystem, the better!
The Rolling Stone Culture Council is an invitation-only community for Influencers, Innovators and Creatives. Do I qualify?
• Authenticity. There is nothing more important than an authentic connection between celebrity and brand. Does the brand fit in the daily lifestyle of your celebrity? Does the celebrity actually use the product? Creek Water Whiskey embodies the spirit of rapper partner Yelawolf. The label was designed by his tattoo artist, the bottle adorns his Slumerican flag embossed on the back and the whiskey itself is 100 proof as a call back to one of his slogans. He also drinks Creek Water, sings about Creek Water and cares about Creek Water. That’s why his fans buy Creek Water.
• The Brand Needs to be Bigger than the Partner. One of the first things I say to any new potential celebrity partner is that we will only be successful if the brand is bigger than you within three years. Caddy Cocktails needs to be ingrained in golf culture, not in Greg Norman culture. Therefore, when developing the brand, ensure it can eventually appeal to your core consumer outside of the celebrity following and even more importantly, to the masses in general!
There is no magical roadmap to success for celebrity brands and there is certainly no “one size fits all” model. What is certain not to change anytime soon is the distinct connection between American consumers and celebrities and the ability to create on-demand awareness for your brand through that powerful relationship.
Disclosure: Yelawolf and Creek Water as well as Greg Norman and Caddy Cocktails are my business partners, in addition to Gabriel Macht on Bear Fight Whiskey and Kenny Chesney on Blue Chair Bay Rum.
