It’s a much-repeated complaint that Kim Kardashian is famous for nothing. It should be stated instead that the reality TV star is famous for creating the Kim Kardashian brand—a brand that has been used to sell everything from clothes to tampons to, yes, sex tapes.
In the ebook The Kardashian Effect, author Michael Wiser suggests marketers can learn a thing or two about branding and connecting with loyal customers online from Kim Kardashian and her family (in total, the Kardashian family has 62 million Twitter followers).
That message was likewise echoed by Kardashian matriarch Kris Jenner, who recently appeared at Advertising Week in New York in conversation with Scott Donaton, chief content officer at Universal McCann.
An unapologetic self-promoter, Jenner took advantage of the speaking gig to name check her family’s slew of endorsements, from Sears to Target, PacSun, Kotex and the pharmaceutical line Merck, and pitch the advertisers in the room.
“When a company like Kotex reaches out, it’s because we are successful and they have an open mind about it. They realize it’s a modern world,” she said of her family’s tabloid-driven fame, noting that notoriety sells magazines and can sell products, too.
She even noted that brands who partner with a single Kardashian can expect a “security blanket” of reach on social media, meaning they can expect tweets and Instagrams from other family members supporting the endorsement.
Sounds like a savvy marketer to us.
This story originally appeared in the Nov. 11 issue of Marketing, available now to subscribers and to iPad users via the Apple Newsstand
