[Quiz] Can You Guess the Marketing Style of these Celebrity Brands

We have been thinking about you. It seems like our last few posts have been a little too intense. Let’s lighten up, shall we? Put aside your notepad (or you know, keep it. Just in case) because here at Outgrow, things are about to get entertaining. We’re talking about the marketing style of celebrity brands. Influencer marketing is literally what it’s all about! So, all you Beyonce fans, get in formation!

Speaking of Beyonce, who doesn’t like to talk about celebrities? We sure do. But being the marketing geeks we are, it’s hard for us not to think about their brands and the respective marketing styles. It’s a wonder how these celebrities seem to be a part of our lives, solely because of how they are presented to us. A great man once said, ‘it’s never about what you sell, it’s about how you sell it’. Well, that great man is us. However, it still holds true.

Another thing that holds true is this: This post will make you appreciate the art of marketing even more. 🙂

Let’s dig deep into the biggest celebrity brands and their marketing styles!

One Direction

This brand is synonymous with frenzied girls and loud squeals of excitement. The One Direction phenomena swept most continents after their 2010 debut on the music scene. Runner-ups in the music competition they participated in, this band became the #1 boy band in the history. How exactly did that happen?

Two words: experiential marketing

Experiential marketing is all about allowing your consumers to be involved in your brand evolution and experience. Customers should be an integral part of the creation process of the marketing strategy. It helps in establishing a closer bond between them and the brand by creating an ‘immersive live experience’ for the latter.

How did they do it?

One Direction rose to success because of those same squealing, predominantly teenage, fan base. Their tour documentary named ‘This is Us’ revealed how the fans aided their exponential rise by spreading the word about their shows and events during the initial days. Their interactive live-stream presentation with their fans on ‘1d day’ is another classic experiential marketing power move.

Oprah Winfrey

If just your vocal support could decide the political future of the biggest superpower in the world, what would you have done? You would have done what Oprah does: emotional marketing.

Emotional marketing is when brands advertise their products and services by appealing to the consumers’ emotions. How does the thought of Kodak film make you feel? That nostalgic emotion you’re experiencing right now is a testament of their excellent marketing strategy.

How does she do it?

The ‘queen of all media’ uses emotional marketing to command the immense attention of the masses as well as reign an influence over them. In fact, she was voted the most influential person by CNN, TIME and Forbes alike. Oprah’s brand is synonymous with fierce individualism, overcoming adversity and self-actualization. She appeals to the capability and goodness in people, building her brand simultaneously. Her numerous charitable ventures, open political stands and the exceptionally popular ‘Oprah Winfrey Show’ is emotional marketing at its best.

Taylor Swift

This pop icon has appeared in Time’s 100 most influential people in the world twice, in Forbes’ top-earning women in music continuously from 2011–2015 and has a legion of dedicated fans who like being called ‘Swifties’. She must be doing something right and we’ll tell you what it is: conversational marketing.

Conversational marketing is all about driving engagement through feedback. This is the stepping stone to getting more customers, brand loyalty and ultimately, sales. Knowing that a brand is receptive and dedicated to customer review paves the way for the business to have a long-term relationship with its clients.

How did she do it?

Taylor Swift includes her fans in her life with regular fan events like secret album listening sessions before the actual release. She molds her songs in a way that they would resonate with the majority of her fanbase. She is constantly in touch with her fans and their feedback influences her art, her public image, and even her wardrobe! Brand loyalty issues? Taylor got that covered with free tickets for her most loyal fans.

Related Read: A real-world marketers guide to creating passionate brand subscribers.

Michael Jackson

The ‘King of Pop’ was, is, and will be loved by everyone. That’s the thing! You need to be visible to everyone to be loved by them. So how did an African American man from a humble background become a household name? He made sure everyone saw him and the legend’s brand was built. This is called ‘glocal branding’.

Glocal branding is a marketing style where brands reshape their marketing strategies in global markets by localizing them. It is customized in a way that is sure to grab the attention of the customer in that particular market location. Take a look at these different alternatives to Captain America ‘catch-up’ diary in ‘The Winter Soldier’ (2016) adapted to different countries it was screened in:

How did he do it?

Michael Jackson employed glocal marketing in his song videos. Remember that dance and face morphing sequence at the end of ‘Black or White’ (1991)? Another example is the ‘We are the World’ song written by Jackson and Lionel Ritchie in 1985 that cemented his global appeal. Jackson sold almost half of his 750 million titles outside the United States.

Beyonce

We don’t think that this post is strong enough to handle the powerhouse we just mentioned. Beyonce or ‘Queen Bey’ is not just the queen of R&B; she is also the queen of cause marketing.

Cause marketing is when a brand tries to increase its customer base by supporting certain causes that appeal to the customer’s conscience. This ensures that the brand comes across as genuine and not fabricated. Here is an example of cause marketing by Pampers:

How did she do it?

Beyonce is an ardent feminist. Her songs like ‘Pretty Hurts’ (2014) and ‘Run the World’ (2011) adds on to her image as a fervent supporter of women’s rights. Her latest album ‘Lemonade’ (2016) is synonymous with African American and women representation. Beyonce’s brand is built on these social causes and that provides her with enormous acknowledgment from the public.

Kendrick Lamar

A huge part of Kendrick Lamar’s brand is built on word-of-mouth marketing. This kind of style is called ‘buzz marketing.’ It’s all about making the brand viral through social media platforms or widespread conversations.

How did he do it?

Kendrick Lamar’s latest album ‘Damn’ (2017). Enough said.

Proof.

More proof.

You catch the drift.

Maybe we should listen to this album.

Damn you buzz marketing!

You thought that is it?

Nope!

Just like your favorite celebrities, some of the biggest brands you know also use different marketing styles to grow their business. How about you take this quiz to check if you can guess the marketing styles of these household names.

Be sure to think about these marketing strategies next time you look at those larger-than-life T.V personas and lifestyle brands. There is an entire marketing team at work influencing our choices. Here was our attempt to redirect the spotlight behind the scenes and then onto your business.

Until next time!