With the Kardashians making headlines yet again (will they or won’t they be invited to the Met Gala?), we’ve decided to take a moment to analyze the Kardashians’ unique approach to personal branding. With the family continuing to remain highly relevant in American pop culture for over two decades, and with Kris Jenner now even offering a MasterClass in personal branding, there’s clearly a lot to learn from how the Kardashians do it.
Lesson #1: Understand what you’re selling
In the case of the Kardashians, while they also sell various physical products such as Kylie Cosmetics and SKIMS, the real product that the Kardashians are selling is their name and lifestyle. By giving the media near constant access to their personal lives and creating endless content displaying their homes, vacations, and possessions, the Kardashians have prioritized creating a personal image that is worth far more than a viral dress or a lip kit. For those seeking to build a personal brand, it’s important to clearly define your primary selling point to build a strong base around it.
Lesson #2: Define your trademark and stick to it
If there’s one thing the Kardashians understand, it’s having a trademark of any kind – from their “K” names, to Kim’s penchant for selfies, to Kourtney’s all-organic diet, the family has always been consistent in how they present themselves, which has then suggested in lucrative individual ventures like Kim’s book Selfish (2015) and Kourtney’s lifestyle platform Poosh. What’s more, the family has done well to keep each person’s individual trademarks relatively coherent with their larger family image. While each family member has their own personality, they all have similarly-branded product lines and equally meme-able ways of speaking.
Lesson #3: Don’t sweat the critics
Not only do the Kardashians appear constantly unswayed by online trolls and tabloid headlines, they’ve even managed to use the publicity to their advantage – after all, any press is good press. While this may initially seem a case of ignoring the needs of their target audience, it in fact illustrates the opposite: the Kardashians understand that the needs and desires of their target audience, as media consumers, are the very drama and entertainment that the Kardashians provide. As such, the Kardashians have set an expert example in keeping a tight core team, and otherwise letting criticism roll right off their backs – and their personal brand is better for it.
Lesson #4: Think ten steps ahead
And last but not least, always have a plan. Enter Kris Jenner, one of the most capable personal branding experts of our time. Thanks to her highly methodical, long-term approach, she’s grown the Kardashian empire for years, and the world will know the entire family’s name for years to come. Now that’s what we call strategy.
Still wondering what lessons can be learned in terms of personal branding? Get in touch with us today!
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