For today’s celebrities, reinvention has become the most common way to stay relevant. But while some rebrand successfully, others struggle to appear authentic to audiences.
Miley Cyrus and JoJo Siwa have both left the ‘good girl’ image behind in favor of a darker, more adult image. Yet only one succeeded, begging the question: what determines the success or failure of a rebrand?
Thomas Byrnes, a long-time marketing professor in Poole College of Management, helped to break down the essence of what a brand really is.
“A brand is basically a combination of all the elements that people think of when they think of a brand. It could be the logo, it could be the slogan, it could be the color scheme, it could be the mantra,” Byrnes said.
When thinking about this in the context of celebrities, it becomes clear that a celebrity is a brand entirely unto themselves.
Reinvention and growth
Singer, songwriter and actress Miley Cyrus is perhaps one of the greatest examples of rebranding done right.
Rising to fame in the mid to late 2000s, Cyrus gained stardom from her Disney Channel character, Hannah Montana. In this role, Cyrus performed upbeat songs such as “The Best of Both Worlds” that targeted younger audiences.
As she grew up, her style shifted with her maturity, resonating in her music and public persona as she pursued a dramatically different demographic. Her music began incorporating rock styles and focusing on personal themes and stories from her own life.
Lisbeth Hauser, a second-year studying international studies, spoke on the natural evolution of Cyrus’s shift.
“I think she’s come a long way,” Hauser said. “She was very young when she was doing ‘Hannah Montana,’ and now she’s explored different identities and experimented with different things.”
Over time, Miley Cyrus has also evolved her singing style, shifting from the bright sounds found in “Party in the U.S.A.” to a much raspier tone with “Flowers.”
For some, this shift showcases a message of empowerment and suggests a positive message for younger audience members.
“Seeing a woman try different music styles and fashion styles and make different choices is empowering. She broke the mold,” Hauser said.
Rebranding doesn’t always succeed
While Miley Cyrus was immensely successful with her rebranding, other celebrities, like JoJo Siwa, have not had quite the same reception.
As a child star, Siwa became well known from her time on “Dance Moms,” training as a dancer at the infamous Abby Lee Dance Company.
Over the past decade, Siwa has attempted to make a dramatic shift, leaving behind the brightly colored bows and high ponytails and shifting to a darker, more rebellious aesthetic with releases such as “Karma” and the “Guilty Pleasure” EP.
This attempted transformation was heavily criticized online, especially in relation to various comments Siwa made in interviews that made her come across as disingenuous. Hauser reflected on this sentiment, calling on one comment that showed Siwa’s disconnect.
“I don’t think [her rebrand] was authentic, didn’t she say she was going to invent gay pop? That was something that already existed long before she came onto the scene,” Hauser said.
Hauser also commented on the effect of Siwa’s mother being so present in her career as a child. She said her mother’s early involvement may have made it more difficult for the star to develop a stable identity of her own.
“It’s almost sad to see her flounder so much,” Byrnes said.
The strategy behind rebranding
Rebranding is certainly not something that happens overnight — Byrnes expanded on the depth of the process one would must through to rebrand themselves.
“So, you do the research, the strategy and consensus, the creative, the fourth step is the implementation and then the fifth step is monitoring to make sure it’s working appropriately,” Byrnes said.
When asked what he believes to be one of the most important components of rebranding, Byrnes said the collaborative element.
“You want to make sure that you collaborate with all the appropriate stakeholders. And that’s not just the employees, but it’s your customers, it’s your executives.” Byrnes said.
Authenticity remains key
Across the board, the celebrity rebrands that have had the most success have been those in which the celebrity has maintained their authenticity.
In contrast, sudden changes and character shifts can come off as calculated, intended only to remain relevant and usually face heavy public criticism.
“The one thing that I think is very important anytime that you’re going through any kind of refresh is just make sure that you’re doing it for all the right reasons,” Byrnes said.
Celebrity rebranding is one of – if not the – main way to remain relevant in a culture that is constantly changing, but it is a balancing act of reinvention and authenticity.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source technicianonline.com ’
