Industry Stories: The Kardashian Success

Let's talk about probably the most loved and hated family of the decade: the Kardashians. Say whatever you want about this family, but it's not everyone that managed to stay relevant for so many years, doing according to many, being famous just for being famous. Now, is that really true?

If for some reason you lived under a rock for the past decade I'll give you the run down on the family. It all started with Robert Kardashian, who got famous for being OJ Simpson's lawyer when he was facing charges for allegedly murdering his wife. Later on, his daughter Kim Kardashian started working for Paris Hilton as her stylist, which got her on the spotlight for a while. Her career as a socialite really changed after a sex tape with her former boyfriend was leaked.

Ok, so what's really special about this family other than being on the spotlight since 2007 when their reality show "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" first aired? Well, it has a lot to do with the concept of storytelling, impeccable branding, social media, psychology, strategy, and Kris Jenner, who coined the term "momager".

The Kardashians became essentially human brands. The family leveraged their success on TV to start building an empire of brands from cleaning products to clothing. Instead of living from their accumulated wealth and TV fame, the family decided to diversify their income and started 15 new businesses since the show first aired. The connection built between the reality stars and fans helped them to sell products with ease, but nothing would've worked without strategy and a superb marketing plan.

The family was fortuned enough to experience the rise of social media while the show was at it's peak, which only furthered their reach and possibilities to breach new segments. At the same time, user generated content (UGC) is becoming a popular way to sell products. You'll be far more likely to purchase a product from a trusted source in an organic way then from a faceless ad online (even if from a prestigious company). The Kardashians are the face behind of their businesses, creating approachable content in all social media handles in order to strengthen the idea of "if you use my products we'll have something in common."

"This is a very complicated world. This is a noisy world. And we are not going to get people to remember much about us - no company is. And we have to be really clear on what we want them to know about us." - Steve Jobs

Storytelling comes into play to emphasize the process of evolution and transformation. Using a story is one way to make information more memorable than simply stating facts. What is a reality show that went on for over 15 years if not a backstory for their brands? Fans of the show watched the family's struggles, dramas, backlash, and spite of it all they kept believing in their potential to build an empire and succeed.

There are 7 different archetypes, tied to Carl Jung's research on personality, and you could say the family thrives by using overcoming the monster*/rebirth**. From Khloe overcoming cheating husbands, Kendall learning how to control her anxiety attacks, Kim learning how to feel safe again after going through an armed robbery in Paris, Kylie learning how to become comfortable with her lips and launching a lip kit.

People don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it. Companies should take a marketing lesson from the family and emphasize the WHY. What's your story? Why should we be buying products from you? What makes you stand apart from the competition?

Consistency, adaptability, storytelling. Sounds like an easy formula to follow, but Rome wasn't build in a day. A lot of businesses get discouraged when they don't get the results they expected in a certain amount of time, but all failure is also a good opportunity to rethink strategy and exercise patience. A big factor of success for the Kardashians was their willingness to be open about, not only their success stories, but also their failures. How often have you shared this kind of openness with your customers?

*Overcoming the Monster: a monster that needs to be destroyed by the hero.

**Rebirth: the main character goes through life changing experiences to become a better person.