The Kardashian Brand- Good Marketing?
On March 24, 2016 By asocialvisionaryIn arts and culture, humanity, lifestyle, long reads, photography, Uncategorized
Old story, old news already – but let's delve into it once more. Who am I speaking of, The Kardashians of course!
The latest which Kim Kardashian posted a photo to her Instagram account, baring her nude body again.
As Kim faced a backlash from not just outsiders but celebrities as well, she said she is proud of her body and wants to be a role model for females (paraphrasing). How is bearing your body over and over again being a role model for females? Let's not forget, a sex tape was leaked prior to Kim's media fame. Personally, I feel that wasn't an accident, after all, she was friends with Paris Hilton and even appeared on Paris's reality show- remember a sex tape was leaked of Paris too? Do you think the leak was accidental or good, yet sleazy marketing of her brand, the Hilton name, and her image?
Seriously, I find it appalling that Kim is trying to promote her 'brand' by saying she wants to be a role model for other females because there is nothing to be ashamed about when it comes to your body (again, paraphrasing). Let's face it, sex sells and Kim Kardashian knows this. Yet, Kim wants other females to believe she is promoting her body image to help others that have a negative body image. How many females have a body like Kim Kardashian's to begin with? How many females have personal trainers? If I were younger and saw her body, I would feel even worse about myself. Do you feel Kim Kardashian is a good role model for females? Do you feel her body image is realistic as a goal for other females to strive for? Personally, I did some homework and compared her butt pictures over a period of years and in my eyes it's quite apparent that Kim has had work done on her bunns. A bum just doesn't grow and plump up as Kim's has.
Which leads me to the Kardashian Brand
According to the Huffington Post, the Kardashian's never had to work a day in their life. "According to the Trust Advisor, their father, Robert Kardashian, left his wife and kids a rumored $100 million estate in trust when he passed away from esophageal cancer in 2003. And while Kris Jenner is often accused of exploiting her family in the name of her 10 percent cut as their manager, it's not exactly as if she has ever been hard up for cash since Bruce Jenner is reportedly worth $100 million on his own.
And with this enormous wealth, the Kardashian-Jenner family has gone on to make even more money. In fact in 2011, a rep for their lifestyle brands told Women's Wear Daily, "the Kardashians could easily be a billion-dollar business worldwide in the next two years."
While it's impossible to know exactly how much the family is worth, Trust Advisor puts the Kardashian collective net worth at around $80 million. While that number seems a little low given that Kim herself is estimated to be worth $40 million alone, they also like to live large."
Great Marketing or pure luck?
Caitlyn (formally known as Bruce) Jenner's net worth is estimated to be around 100 million dollars. Understandably, Bruce earned his money in an honest manner, well that is until he became a reality TV *star* with his Wife Kris Jenner and their children. I realize all the Kardashian's have their own businesses/brands now but would that have been possible without inheriting money from their father's estate? Is the Kardashian lifestyle a reality for most people or a fantasy in which many wish they lived? I admit I have watched their show out of pure curiosity- I wanted to find out what made them so appealing. I found nothing appealing about the show and quite frankly, insulted. Yet, they have been able to market their name, bodies and yes, some fly by night clothing shops, Kim's newest game, along with other side businesses they own. So maybe it's better put that the glamor of a lifestyle and the beauty of a person's body do sell. Would you follow their marketing ploys if you knew you could make mega millions on top of what you inherited?
Kardashian Reality and why it insults
Most of us do not make a million dollars a year, forget 100's of millions. Most of us work long, hard hours and are hoping we have enough money to pay our bills each month. Most of us do not own Multi-Million dollar homes, let alone more than one multi-million dollar home. Most of us started from the ground on up and will never in our lifetime see an income that resembles that of the Kardashians. How many of you are working to pay down credit card debt, saving for a vacation, sweating income tax time, holding on to that second car long after it's paid off, robbing Peter to pay Paul just to get by each month? How many of you can watch this show and say, wow- I'm so impressed because the Kardashians are so business savvy and I would like to model my own business after them? Is it even a reality to think, "If the Kardashians can continue to build their net worth," I know it's possible for me to become this rich too? Which leads me to a few final notes- Keeping up with the Kardashians is not a reality TV show, it's a fantasy that many people wish they were living. That's the only reason I can come up with when it comes to fans who loyally watch their show. Any ideas why people would watch the show, other than it takes their mind off of reality and allows people to dream for a future they will most likely never experience? I would love to hear your thoughts. I would also love to hear your thoughts about Kim Kardashian posting so many nude photos and then claiming she wants to be a role model for females?
Please note- It was next to impossible for me to find articles linking back to Kim Kardashian and the story of her most recent nude photo she posted on Instagram without linking to a page with naked photos.
One last note- As long as people continue to buy the Kardashian propaganda and tune in to "Meet The Kardashians," it's no different than watching a sports game, that's how they make their money. It's no different than paying constant homage to a news show, they too, make their money from the masses who are addicted. Our society is so media driven today and the media knows how to take advantage of this in order to line their wallets more.
What are you thoughts? I don't expect everyone to agree with me.
*UPDATE* Please read the entire article. I have only watched the show 2 times out of pure curiosity. I do not seek them out, weed them out- yes! My Facebook and twitter timelines were flooded the past 2 days with news of Kim Kardashian's latest nude photo posted on her Instagram account. Curious to hear how others feel about shows like this and the manner in which they conduct 'business.' Thanks!
Photo sources provided by: Google Images
I originally posted this on Linkedin.
All Rights Reserved Copyright © Lisa Gallagher 2016
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3 thoughts on "The Kardashian Brand- Good Marketing?"
jimmurray
Interesting article, Lisa. The American culture is one that has always fascinated me, especially people who simply manage to get famous just for being famous. Of course, the price they pay for this is living their lives under a microscope and being constantly judged buy people who generally have very little in the way of brain cells to rub together. But when you are as completely narcissistic as these people seem to be, I would suppose there is no limit to the amount of dumb adulation they will gratefully accept while laughing all the way to the bank. People like this are disgusting parasites who flaunt wealth and materialism and don't really appear to have a level to which they would not sunk for attention. As far as a brand goes, I really don't know if there is any sort of benefit to emulating Kim Kardashian. The brand is pretty much as shallow as the celebrity.
asocialvisionary
Hi Jim, you made very valid points about a certain sector of the American Culture. It's odd, I only watched the show twice (it nauseated me), and I had the same thought- they are narcissists, especially Kim who loves to flaunt her nude body. Another point you brought up and I agree with fully, they are laughing all the way to the bank. Anything for a buck, eh?! I love your comment, you said a few things I have thought privately about this clan. Thanks for your comment Jim!
Anne Thornley-Brown, MBA
Well said!!!
From pseudo-celebrities like Kim and her clan to a model turned bikini designer, it is disturbing how much publicity, fame, and fortune some females are getting by playing the skimpy clothing card.
Kim's story is well documented. Candice started posting inappropriate photos on LinkedIn just over a year ago and she has been rewarded for it. She was banned from LinkedIn due to well-justified complaints about her content. Don't ask me WHAT she did to convince them to reinstate her account. I would LOVE to know. For this highly improper behaviour she is considered to be a marketing genius. She now has 50,000 followers, a column in Inc. and she has had write-ups in Forbes and the BBC. She recently did a keynote speech for Google when other more innovative and deserving women with a solid business track record can't even get past the gatekeepers.
Other young females are following her lead by posting skimpy photos, photos with cleavage, you name it. I am sick of these photos turning up in my feed and going viral.This when solid business content that is of value is ignored.
"Sex tape your way to fame and fortune" and "Expose the female form and you too will be famous" seem to be the order of the day.
Women fought HARD for many, many decades to get a seat at the boardroom table and earn respected based on merit. Now a new generation of females is turning the calendar back to the 1950s pin-up girl era. They should be ashamed of themselves.