10 Celebrities Who’ve Mastered the Art of Personal Branding

10 Celebrities Who’ve Mastered the Art of Personal Branding

May 1, 2009

Compiled by: Online MBA

There’s a big difference between the celebrities who only show up to public events when they have to and the celebs who welcome the limelight. While some shy away from the extra attention, others actively pursue extra endeavors to keep their names and their images in front of consumers and the entertainment industry. These 10 celebrities have mastered the art of personal branding and have carved out niches for themselves in the business, hoping to stay famous and successful for a lot longer.

  1. Dita Von Teese: Dita Von Teese–whose real name is Heather Sweet–has marketed herself as the modern-day, fetish version of the 1950s pin-up girl. Von Teese is a burlesque dancer, model, actress and lingerie designer, and she is so committed to her retro-inspired brand that she never appears without vintage clothing or her signature old-fashioned makeup and hairstyles. Von Teese even drives a 1939 Chrysler New Yorker and has a fake beauty mark.

  2. Paris Hilton: Paris Hilton is arguably responsible for making it possible for socialites to become celebrities, just by being themselves. Paris Hilton is the daughter of Richard and Kathy Hilton and an heiress to the Hilton Hotel fortune. She became a regular on the New York and LA party circuits in the early 2000s, and found work as an occasional model, actress and even singer. Famous mostly for her own scandals and party appearances, Hilton has had a sex tape, a DWI arrest, her own reality show on E!, a music album, and numerous appearances in films–some of which only required her to play herself.

  3. Lauren Conrad: Lauren Conrad first became famous when she was selected to play herself on a reality show that followed the lives of a group of teenagers from Orange County. Laguna Beach was such a hit on MTV that Lauren Conrad inspired her own spinoff, The Hills, which followed her burgeoning fashion career in Los Angeles. Now, Lauren Conrad has her own clothing line, endorses beauty brand mark, and appears at fashion events, movie premieres and other celebrity-fueled events around the country.

  4. Donald Trump: In the 1970s and 1980s, Donald Trump was a major player in the large-scale real estate development projects of New York City and Atlantic City, NJ. In the 1990s, however, Trump filed for bankruptcy and struggled to refinance, repackage and pay off his $900 million debt. Since then, Trump and his companies have been restructured and are still considered to be some of the most successful business ventures–almost all of which are named after himself–of the modern era, despite the new housing and financial crises. Trump has had two reality shows, The Apprentice and The Celebrity Apprentice; owns major properties like Trump Park Avenue, Trump Hotel Las Vegas, Trump World Tower, and others; is the public face of numerous other real estate properties; and oversees more than 30 licensing projects in New York City, Florida, and around the world.

  5. Kim Kardashian: Kim Kardashian, like her childhood friend Paris Hilton, is another socialite who has made millions of dollars and achieved fame mostly by being herself. She has a reality TV show on E! with her family, Keeping Up With the Kardashians, appears at red carpet events and parties covered by the tabloid and entertainment media, was a contestant on Dancing with the Stars, has her own workout DVD, is working on her own perfume brand, and has performed with The Pussycat Dolls in Las Vegas. In 2007, a sex tape involving her and her then-boyfriend was leaked, and she is constantly in the public eye for her fashion choices, party appearances, modeling and photo shoots, and more.

  6. Kanye West: Rapper and businessman Kanye West has a Best Rap Album Grammy, a Best New Artist BET Award, and countless nominations and awards for his three albums. Besides his music, however, West maintains a very high-profile persona for his public disagreements and competitions with other rappers, like 50 Cent; his collaboration with other artists; shoe line with Louis Vuitton; his own ability to inspire fashion trends; and his two arrests involving vandalism of photography equipment.

  7. Diane von Furstenberg: Diane von Furstenberg was born in Belgium and is now considered to be one of the most iconic designers and most important inspirations to American fashion of all time. In the 1970s, after a marriage to Prince Egon of Furstenberg, she began designing clothes, and in 1973, she introduced the jersey wrap dress, which is still incredibly popular today. The couple eventually divorced, but von Furstenberg’s designs and prints are immediately recognized by women around the world. Besides her clothing line, von Furstenberg has appeared on MTV’s The City as star Whitney Port’s boss; recently wrote and released a comic book starring Wonder Woman alongside the founders of the DVF company; has appeared on shows like Project Runway; and has endorsed and collaborated with American Express.

  8. Miley Cyrus: Teen sensation and workaholic Miley Cyrus is still only 16 years old, but her face appears on backpacks, lipglosses, t-shirts, and plenty more. The actress and singer first gained recognition by appearing as the title character on the Disney TV show Hannah Montana. The character Hannah Montana also has an alter ego, who is actually named Miley, after Miley Cyrus. The project quickly turned into an entire franchise, and Cyrus was able to simultaneously release her own album, as well as albums for the TV show; headline a touring concert; and star in a feature-length Hannah Montana film. In addition, Cyrus voiced one of the characters in the animated film Bolt, is the spokesperson for Daisy Rock Guitars, releases her own movies and online TV show on YouTube with her best friend Mandy, and found herself in the middle of a controversy after posing in a wrapped bed sheet for Vanity Fair magazine. Her autobiography, Miles to Go, was also recently released, and she is widely considered to be one of the most famous and most successful child stars of all time.

  9. Justin Timberlake: Pop star, actor, clothing designer and all-around entertainer Justin Timberlake has come a long way since his Mickey Mouse Club Days. Timberlake shot to fame with the boy band ‘N Sync but became his own personal brand and is an A-list celebrity all on his own. Timberlake’s first solo album, Justified, inspired a joint tour with Christina Aguilera, and during the mid-2000s, Timberlake recorded a McDonald’s theme song, starred in a controversial performance with Janet Jackson during Super Bowl XXXVIII, won multiple Grammys, appeared in films like Shrek the Third and Alpha Dog, and collaborated with other musical artists like Three 6 Mafia and Nelly Furtado. Since then, Timberlake continues to work on his own music, perform at high profile events, collaborate with major stars like Madonna, work in films, and even pursue business projects like a chain of restaurants, his own brand of tequila, and his own clothing line.

  10. Will Ferrell: Will Ferrell has taken his comedic talent to the next level. Ferrell was a major hit on Saturday Night Live, and went on to star in movies like Old School, Anchorman, Elf, Talladega Nights and Step Brothers. He often plays the same or a similar type of character, and often appears at public events in character. He often works with the same group of actors, including John C. Reilly, Steve Carrell, Owen Wilson, Luke Wilson and Vince Vaughn, nicknamed the Frat Pack.

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