Sometimes celebrities get a bad rap. People often think of them as not so smart and just being famous. Some even manage to lose their fortunes or get ripped off by managers or others in their circle. However, for some celebs, they leverage their “personal brand” into multi-million and billion dollar businesses. Selling products that they have created under their own umbrella has proven fruitful.
What exactly is a “personal brand”? It is NOT about reputation, but rather how you want people to see you. It’s about representing the values that you represent. When celebrities successfully leverage their personal brand, the products or services they create reflects on how people perceive them. For example, The Rock created Zoa energy drink because people associate him with working out and maintaining an amazing physique.
Here are seven well-known personalities that have leveraged their personal brand into highly successful products and businesses:
Celebrity: The Rock
Products: Teremana tequila, Zoa energy drink
The Rock is a well known athlete (former WWE star) and actor. He is known for his generosity, focus on community, inspiration to others and being in amazing shape. He emerged from a troubled childhood by setting goals for himself and achieving success on the football field, as a WWE star and a popular film and TV actor. He uses the same motivation and determination when creating his brands. One of his brands is Teremana tequila. As stated on their website, Teremena is all about bringing people together and using sustainable production techniques that protect the Earth, which reflects The Rock’s values – their slogan is “Made The Right Way”. Building on his image as “The People’s Champ”, he made sure to price Teremana at an affordable price of $35 per bottle, which is much cheaper than most celebrity tequila brands. Since its launch in 2020, they have sold over 2 million cases, making it one of the fastest growing tequilas in the world. His Zoa energy drink was created out of his love for health and fitness. Their mission is to give people motivation and energy which in turn inspires people around them – a true reflection of The Rock’s spirit. As of January 2023, Zoa has sold over $100 million. That’s what The Rock is cooking!
Celebrity: Ryan Reynolds
Products: Mint Mobile, Aviation Gin, Wrexham soccer
Ryan Reynolds is best known as an actor, but he’s also a very successful entrepreneur. His personal brand reflects his humor and self-deprecation and he’s known as someone that’s authentic, relatable, and often unexpected. He has successfully invested in Mint Mobile, Aviation Gin and Wrexham soccer team, all of which reflect his personal style and philosophy. Mint Mobile is known as a low cost alternative to the major cell phone providers. Reynolds invested in the company and became a part owner, using his humor in a variety of ads and promotions for the company, reflecting his connection with people. He supposedly earned $300 Million when Mint was sold to T-Mobile. With a similar approach, he became the co-owner of the Welsh soccer club, Wrexham, which is based in a working class town. He helped turn the scrappy team around and get promoted into the English Football League, with his down to earth and kind approach. And his investments and promotion of Aviation gin have earned him millions, again using his own personality to promote and advertise the brand.
Celerity: Kim Kardashian
Brand: Skims
Kim Kardashian gained fame on the reality show “Keeping Up With The Kardashians”. While many people may think of her as just being famous “for being famous”, with no real talent, she’s actually a shrewd businesswoman. She is a co-owner of Skims, which is a shape wear, lounge wear, lingerie and women’s clothing brand that comes in a wide variety of colors and sizes, to reflect all body types. Kim’s personality is known to be driven, enthusiastic and practical. She has incorporated these into the Skims brand image, using her social media presence as an influencer to help promote Skims products. By utilizing cutting edge marketing tools, she helps the Skim brand stay relevant. The company has been extremely successful and is worth over $4 billion with over $700 million in sales a year.
Celebrity: Kylie Jenner
Brand: Kylie Cosmetics
Kylie Jenner founded Kylie Cosmetics with her mother and the company is worth over $1 billion Kylie is known as being personal and open, even about her insecurities. She started Kylie Cosmetics because of her genuine interest in makeup and beauty and how they impact women’s image of themselves. Jenner’s former insecurity about her lip size was used as inspiration to create her brand and she is quoted as saying: “It’s the most authentic thing I’ve done in my career”. After selling a share of her business to the large cosmetics company Coty, Jenner is considering purchasing it back so she again has full ownership.
Celebrity: Conor McGregor
Brand: Proper Twelve Whiskey
Conor McGregor is a well known mixed martial artist whose personality is flamboyant, confident and risk taking, and he’s a master of self-promotion. With these things in mind, he launched Proper Twelve Whisky, stemming from his Irish roots and love of whiskey. The brand’s slogan is “Live Proper” which is reflective of McGregor’s approach to life. He eventually sold the brand for $500 million and was sued by one of his ex-partners who claimed he was promised a stake in the sales price. Conor McGregor claims that the secret to his success is hard work and his development – his whiskey brand is a reflection of this philosophy.
Celebrity: George Clooney
Brand: Casamigos
George Clooney is a famous actor, director and producer. He is one of the most respected players in Hollywood and most other celebrities have kind words for him. Clooney’s personal brand reflects his qualities of being classy, friendly, approachable, self-deprecating and a team player. That’s exactly what he sought to bring out when he co-created the tequila brand Casamigos with two of his friends. They launched the brand, not to make money, but to provide a high quality tequila at an affordable price so everyone can enjoy the best. This is similar to Clooney’s approach to life and film making – his focus on helping others and being friendly. The brand was eventually sold for $1 billion, but Clooney remains a brand ambassador and spokesperson.
Celebrity: Rihanna
Brand: Fenty Beauty
Rhianna is one of the most successful musicians of her age, with worldwide mega-hits like “Umbrella”. She grew up in humble surroundings in Barbados and worked hard, even as a child, to help support her family. Her personal philosophy is to find a solid balance between work and life and to be happy. She was once quoted as saying “I’ve made little things a big deal, like going for a walk or going to the grocery store.” She used this approach to help launch her successful brand Fenty Beauty. The goal of the brand is to provide makeup that inspires her customers and makes them happy. Her line of cosmetics include a wide range of colors and skin tones that are often difficult to find, making for a more inclusive brand. The company is highly successful with sales of over $550 million a year.
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