Branding with the Stars

There’s no question that celebrity and influencer backed brands are on the rise.

Alani Nu (Katy Hearn), Chamberlain Coffee (Emma Chamberlain), Feastables (Mr. Beast) and Prime (Logan Paul and KSI) are just a few of the darlings of the CPG industry and symbols of the new wave of brands.

Over the last 4 years we’ve worked with influencers and celebrities from Mr. Beast, Rob Dyrdek, Steve Harvey, and Russell Wilson to Kevin Hart, Martha Stewart, Nick Bare, and other YouTube and TikTok personalities.

We’ve learned a lot about the unique aspects of working with high-profile individuals - how they manage their time, image and energy, how they utilize business partners to help develop their brands, how they approach activating their mass audiences, how they see their place in a brand and where it fits into their flywheel of influence.

Our collective experiences have led to our development of a distinctive approach we call branding with the stars that meet the needs of time-and-attention-strapped celebrities and influencers factoring in the objectives of their business counterparts. Beyond this, these brands require keen cultural awareness, best-in-class craft and creative activations in order to resonate with target audiences - a tall order for a branding partner but one we’re well equipped to deliver on.

A critical first step is identifying the right brand building strategy to pair with a given celebrity partner. How much of the celebrity should be intertwined with the brand? Are they an endorser like Beats by Dre or Feastables? Are they front and center as with Kylie Cosmetics and Hailey Bieber’s Rhode? Are they behind-the-scenes like Ryan Renold’s Aviation Gin and George Clooney’s Casamigos?

While no one strategy is better than the other, each strategy comes with its own pros and cons. Using a celebrity as the face of the brand has major upside when authentically aligned but can also be risky if they become embroiled in controversy and cancel culture (think Kanye and Adidas Yeezy collab). The endorser role allows for more brand sponsorship moments (think of all the athletes that make Beats so desirable and the freedom that creates being separate from Dre). Being behind the scenes puts less pressure on a celebrity to constantly carry the brand but gives them the flexibility to step in and create buzz and relevance as needed (think Ryan Renolds and Mint Mobile ads).

When we worked with Mr.Beast and his Night team on the rebrand of Feastables, a large part of the strategy was taking the brand from a celebrity-forward approach to a celebrity-endorsed one. This would allow Feastables to become its own platform brand with multiple products and attached influences underneath it building equity beyond the Mr. Beast name helping to diversify their portfolio, and create something that can live beyond the Mr. Beast name and fame.

So while we’ve gleaned many insights from our time on the creative red carpet, getting aligned on the overall brand & design strategy is the most critical.

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