Celebrities, influencers, and even internet micro-personalities have evolved from public figures to powerful brands, in their own right. Partnering with these figures can be a game changer for companies, especially when their personal brands carry as much weight as a corporate logo.
A strong personal brand helps audiences quickly connect with a public figure. What values do they stand for? What story do they tell? A celebrity’s personal brand is built on key elements of authenticity, signature style, and storytelling, all of which resonate with their audience. Companies that apply these same principles can strengthen their product identity and more effectively reach targeted markets. Everywhere you look we’re constantly being sold something, and it’s not always the company doing the direct selling. Today, influencers and media personalities act as salespeople for brands, often reaching audiences and impacting purchasing behaviors in ways that traditional advertising alone cannot. Public figures don’t just simply endorse products but completely shape trends. Their audiences don’t just admire them, they emulate them, and that admiration often translates directly into sales.
Consider Hailey Bieber, supermodel and CEO of powerhouse skincare and makeup brand: Rhode Skin. In 2022, the upscale grocery store Erewhon collaborated with her, creating the ‘Hailey Bieber Strawberry Glaze Skin Smoothie’, a $20 product that quickly became a sensation.
Its success was not just about the drink itself, but about the seamless alignment between Bieber’s glowing skin brand and Erewhon’s image of exclusivity and wellness. With the name ‘Strawberry Glaze Skin Smoothie,’ the product subtly tapped into the desire of Bieber’s followers to replicate her glowing complexion, enhancing the appeal of what the product promised to offer. With reports estimating sales of 40,000 units per month, the partnership generates roughly $800,000 in potential monthly revenue.
So, will drinking the ‘Strawberry Glaze Skin Smoothie’ give you Hailey Bieber’s dewy skin? Probably not. But as a branding strategy, the partnership was a smart and profitable way to boost sales and strengthen both Bieber’s and Erewhon’s brands.
