For today\u2019s celebrities, reinvention has become the most common way to stay relevant. But while some rebrand successfully, others struggle to appear authentic to audiences.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Miley Cyrus and JoJo Siwa have both left the \u2018good girl\u2019 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?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Thomas Byrnes, a long-time marketing professor in Poole College of Management, helped to break down the essence of what a brand really is.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cA 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,\u201d Byrnes said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n When thinking about this in the context of celebrities, it becomes clear that a celebrity is a brand entirely unto themselves.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Reinvention and growth<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Singer, songwriter and actress Miley Cyrus is perhaps one of the greatest examples of rebranding done right.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n 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 \u201cThe Best of Both Worlds\u201d that targeted younger audiences.<\/span><\/p>\n As she grew up, her <\/span>style shifted with her maturity<\/span><\/a>, 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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Lisbeth Hauser, a second-year studying international studies, spoke on the natural evolution of Cyrus\u2019s shift.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI think she\u2019s come a long way,\u201d Hauser said. \u201cShe was very young when she was doing \u2018Hannah Montana,\u2019 and now she\u2019s explored different identities and experimented with different things.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Over time, Miley Cyrus has also evolved her singing style, shifting from the bright sounds found in \u201cParty in the U.S.A.\u201d to a much raspier tone with \u201cFlowers.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n For some, this shift showcases a message of empowerment and suggests a positive message for younger audience members.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSeeing a woman try different music styles and fashion styles and make different choices is empowering. She broke the mold,\u201d Hauser said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Rebranding doesn\u2019t always succeed<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n While Miley Cyrus was immensely successful with her rebranding, other celebrities, like JoJo Siwa, have not had quite the same reception.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As a child star, Siwa became well known from her time on \u201cDance Moms,\u201d training as a dancer at the infamous Abby Lee Dance Company.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n 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 \u201cKarma\u201d and the \u201cGuilty Pleasure\u201d EP.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This attempted transformation was <\/span>heavily criticized online<\/span><\/a>, 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\u2019s disconnect.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think [her rebrand] was authentic, didn\u2019t she say she was going to <\/span>invent gay pop<\/span><\/a>? That was something that already existed long before she came onto the scene,\u201d Hauser said.<\/span><\/p>\n