Britney Spears: Marketing Genius or Moron?

According to Yahoo, in 2005 AND 2006 Britney Spears was number 1 for overall searches. Yes you read that right. She topped out at the "most searched" for both years. I guess I don't know what to make of that. As a brand, the name Britney Spears has a ton of equity. But wait, is it due to strategic marketing or does she simply fall into the train wreck category shared by fellow intellects, Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie and Anna Nicole Smith(God rest her soul.)

Britney's last album in 2003 initiated her downward spiral making the transition from perky little pop singer to tabloid fodder. I think people have a natural curiosity to view the strange, morbid and abnormally obscene. This is exactly what they are getting from dear ole' Britney. From the shaved head incident and the famous "Britney Spears Giving Birth" Statue by Daniel Edwards to the countless paparazzi photographs of Ms. Spears exposing her naughty bits, our dear girl never ceases to provide material. Countless blogs like What Would Tyler Durden Do, DListed, TMZ, CelebSlam and many others, chronicle Britt's daily blunders and unflattering public appearances. One could even say that Brit keeps them going. Even though she has been in and out of rehab, been in trouble with the law, and continues to be a GREAT mother, she is still worth an estimated 100 Million Dollars. There's no doubt that she has done something right.



There's an old saying that says,"No press is bad press." This is definitely the case for Ms. "Oops I did it again." So continually venturing out, exposing yourself to the paparazzi, and repeatedly giving the celebrity rags exactly what they are looking for, may be a well thought out PR plan. Or is it? The other side of the coin - Brit is proof that you need to protect your brand and make decisions that represent it's virtue. Britney sufferers from the worst kind of brand exposure, as she was released as a “psycho” in the media over the past six months. It goes to show how important reputation management is these days, especially over the Internet.

Stupidity aside, I really think the pop princess has explicitly upheld an image of herself, whether it’s good or bad. She maintains getting her name out to the media with public acts of topless behavior, and annulled mistake marriages. Spears also understands the concept of being flexible and quickly adaptive in the ever-changing world of media. Most celebrities understand that if they are going to survive in the competitive world of entertainment they must evolve and continually re-invent themselves. The public gets very bored with static people and behavior. Staying in front of your consumers, giving them something new or fresh or a regular basis and providing something that they can rely on is the key growing your brand. All this being said...




Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Britney Spears - Marketing Genius.


Like this post? Feel free to leave your comments and subscribe to The Big Bald Blog!