Australia is a-buzz at the moment, with Zac Efron in town to promote his new film, The Lucky One, and hot UK pop band One Direction touring the country. Not since Justin Bieber’s appearance has Martin Place seemed so out of control and busy with teenage fans as it was this morning when Niall, Zayn, Liam, Harry and Louis performed on Sunrise.
The following the band and Zac Efron get is cultured at a young age and fans grow as the celebrity does. Sometimes, the celebrity teeters off course and fans are lost (like with the Paris Hilton/Lindsay Lohan-types), but if nurtured and packaged correctly, fans can stick around for decades.
The key to packaging a celebrity into a brand lies in ensuring the product stays clean. Let them be themselves, create their own personality and expose it to the public, within reason. Letting a brand be accessible (via social media) to consumers goes a long way to further the trust of fans. Whether established or new, fans should always be number one when it comes to a brand’s focus. After all, without fans, you don’t have a brand at all.
Next, a focus on presentation is key. The One Direction boys are styled into pop stars both daughters and their mothers will like, and thus approve of – multiplying their target market. Look for ways you can stretch a brand’s target market through presentation (sleeker packaging, an easier-to-navigate website, etc) and take advantage of that opportunity.
Lastly, believe in the product. Cleanliness and presentation is only as good as the product itself, so ensure what the brand promises to deliver – it does.
Signed, Tammi and the Stormettes.
