Jessica Alba, Blake Lively, Brad Pitt.
What do they have in common? They all have their own brand.
For a handful of celebrities, recording another hit album or working on their next blockbuster film isn’t enough to keep them busy. So, they’ve gone on to start their own side hustles.
From skincare and beauty, to clothing and wellness, our favourite celebrities have thought of everything.
We’ve seen successes and failures, but can’t deny that there are some incredible celebrity brands available and we wanted to share some of our favourites with you.
Let’s dive into these 4 celebrity brands and what we can learn from them.
Goop
Noughties icon Gwyneth Paltrow was the face of Estee Lauder and Coach before creating her own brand.
Gwyneth launched Goop, a wellness and lifestyle company, from her kitchen fifteen years ago. Goop began as a weekly newsletter for Gwyneth’s family and friends, but has since become a million-dollar brand and moved into e-commerce.
A huge part of Goop’s success is its community which was built through shared experiences. From her favourite restaurants and delicious recipes, to being a mother and her separation from Chris Martin, Goop was Gwyneth’s outlet. Her stories were real and honest making her easy to identify with, this led to consumers wanting to be a part of the Goop community.
As marketers we know that knowing your target audience is key and Goop does too! Goop discovered their target audience was women in their thirties who earn a high income, so they focused on this. To maintain a sense of exclusivity and attract more of their target audience, Gwyneth created a range of products specifically for them.
Goop has seen its share of controversy and often sparks consumer curiosity, but this is what brings people to the website where they’re exposed to a wide range of products.
All of these add to Goop’s success now being worth $250 million.
Rare Beauty
Founded by Selena Gomez, Rare Beauty debuted in February 2019.
After opening up on her struggles with mental health, Selena created Rare Beauty as a force of change. The brand’s purpose is to break down unattainable beauty standards by discussing mental health and education, life isn’t always glamorous!
The former Disney star created a brand that is inclusive with a wide shade range and disability-friendly packaging. Rare Beauty radiates positivity celebrating self-love and encourages its audience to do this too, this is reflected in their copy and even product names.
Selena’s transparent nature makes the brand feel like an extension of herself to fans and consumers, it was clear that this was something she cared about and believed in.
With high-quality products and a passionate founder, Rare Beauty was a hit with consumers and fans and is now stocked in a variety of beauty stores.
Fenty Beauty
We’re all familiar with Fenty Beauty, right?
Since its launch 6 years ago, Rihanna’s beauty empire has become the world’s most successful celebrity beauty brand ahead of Kylie Cosmetics and Rare Beauty. According to Forbes, Fenty Beauty is valued at a whopping $2.8 billion and has become a firm favourite for consumers across the globe.
And, if you’re looking for inspiration, there’s lots we can learn from Fenty Beauty’s marketing strategy.
Rihanna created Fenty Beauty as a brand for everyone and its launch revolutionised the beauty industry.
Embracing diversity is key for Fenty Beauty and this is reflected in every part of the brand, from their products to their social media content. Fenty Beauty’s international launch, with an impressive shade range, ensured that it was accessible to everyone no matter their skin tone or location.
Fenty Beauty has a devoted community which they’ve built by leveraging their social media. The brand constantly engages with its audience, from comments to direct messages, making sure their community feels valued and stays connected. And, with playful copywriting and fun content, the brand caters to (and celebrates) its mostly young female audience.
SKIMS
After struggling to find shapewear that matched her skin tone, Kim Kardashian created and launched Skims in 2019.
Originally a shapewear and lingerie brand, SKIMS has gone on to produce exclusive collections, luxury collaborations, and pop-up shops.
SKIMS is inclusive providing shapewear for everybody no matter their shape, size or skin tone. The brand’s unique selling point is comfort continuing to create innovative shapewear that’s suitable for everyday wear, something consumers had been waiting for.
To boost its appeal and cater to a wider audience SKIMS expanded its product range, including day-to-day and sleepwear, and became even more in demand.
As marketers we know how valuable your personal brand can be and Kim is the perfect example of launching her personal brand on the back of her family name. Through good and bad, Kim’s never been afraid of the spotlight.
For SKIMS, Kim has leveraged her family’s influence to create eye-catching campaigns, increase brand awareness, and boost sales. One of SKIMS most notable campaigns for their sellout ‘Fits Everybody’ line featured four of the industry’s iconic supermodels – Tyra Banks, Heidi Klum, Candice Swanepoel, and Alessandro Ambrosio.
What can we learn from these celebrity brands?
Whilst there are lots of contributing factors to the success of these celebrity brands, here are some key takeaways:
- Don’t underestimate the power of community
- Get to know your target audience
- Build a social media presence
- Leverage your personal brand
- Authenticity is always key
If you fancy hearing more about brands with killer marketing strategies? Check out The Girls in Marketing Podcast to hear from industry experts.
As marketers staying inspired is pivotal and, as we look ahead to 2024, we want to celebrate the women shaping the marketing landscape. Each year we spotlight women to follow with our list and this year is no different. But we’re mixing it because we want you to get involved!
Fancy a spot on the list or maybe you know someone who deserves one? You can nominate yourself or someone else to feature on our list by filling in the form here.
