Brand Evolution - Assignment Example

Brand Evolution INTRODUCTION Peoples brand is the symbol and perception that a person is attached to or referred and this is common among the celebrities. A person brand comprises of what you think, say and do, instagram offering a call to action. It can also be argued to refer to the real value that a person offers. Celebrities are a brand unto themselves (Ballantyne 2006).  Over the years, performers and singers such as Christina Augilera and Britney Spears have branded their stage names and personas and they have created a huge fan base all over the world.  It is notable that the two celebrities at the beginning had the same brand however due to the evolution of their brands currently they have followed totally different career paths. The brand creation by the two celebrities played an important role in propelling their careers in various aspects in the entertainment and music industry. The development of these brands has contributed greatly in building their celebrity names and the commercial value associated and attached to them. According to Ballantyne (2006) the two celebrities can be argued to have developed towards building iconic brands from their similar background and popularity towards their current identities. It is notable that music and entertainment industry has its evolutions are geared towards the establishment and creation of identity brands as compared to few iconic brands. Although the two celebrities have common basis of evolution, Britney Spears brand has evolved reaching iconic brand. Christina Augilera has not reached the iconic status but she has achieved a lot of recognition in music industry winning various awards. The celebrity brand of Christina Augilera and Britney Spears represents their individual lifestyles, values, personality, emotion and the desires that two celebrities are identified directly with. It is notable that the concept of the two brands has gone a step further to be associated with a sub-culture in the society mainly through their fans. Most of the consumers who are the fans are characterized with high-involvement where they have emotionally invested to the brand. The two brands in the 21st century have had subculture notably the young people in the society notably ladies identifying themselves (Azoulay 2003). Both Christina Augilera and Britney Spears brands have highly emotionally invested in the lifestyle the brand represents. BRAND DEVELOPMENT Comparing the two career paths that both Aguilera and spears have taken illuminates how their brands are influential in the contemporary societies all over the world. Christina Augilera and Britney Spears became famous and rose to superstardom almost at the same time. During their time it was regarded as the battle of the blondes, they competed since childhood and there is no clear winner between the two. This childhood competition in various events contributed greatly to the development of the two identity brands of the two singers. They were both talented artists, and their differences are as compelling as their similarities in the various aspects of performance and entertainment dimensions (Beverly 2005). Aguilera and Spears were born in 1980 and 1981 respectively and they both competed as young girls in most of local competitions during their childhood. Their brand development began as they acted in various precocious talents by auditioning for "The Mickey Mouse Club,”. This was a popular TV show in USA where Aguilera auditioned in 1991 and waited two years until she was older. Aguilera boosted her career in performance and singing marking quickly her place as a diva with a powerful voice suitable for singing. Britney Spears on the other hand began her brand creation in 1992 joining "The Mickey Mouse Club” where Aguilera had signed a year ago. This marked the beginning of their brand establishment being part of one team. Until the cancellation in 1994 Spears and Aguilera stayed on the show and they did a number of numerous performances together on the show. Attributed to this fact is that the two performers and singers have same background brand similarity which has since changed (Azoulay 2003). The two celebrity brands have had success even after leaving the show and this equipped them to be ready to pursue serious their pop careers. Aguilera had her first song recorded at the age of fourteen years doing it with a Japanese pop star and this did not materialize and did not bring her the fame she had anticipated. Breakthrough came when she heard that Disney was searching for an artist to make a song. This was a milestone to the establishment of her brand where she recorded a demo of Whitney Houston's "Run to You” which caught the attention of a major label executive in music and entertainment industry (Diamantopoulos 2005). This gave her a chance to perform his son on reflection on various performances whereby she ended up winning a global globe nomination creating a strong and noticeable brand for her in the global markets (Ballantyne 2006). Spears also drew on Whitney Houston's work to help land her big breakthrough in her efforts to rise into fame. Britney spears performed "I Have Nothing" for the executives of Jive Records and she was signed onto this label. By January of 1999, she had released her first album callled "Baby One More Time." After a month, the album had gone platinum twice and this propelled her into popularity developing her reputation and brand. "Baby One More Time” in her first album became all-time most popular album from a teenage star in USA. In the year 2000 she came up wi9th "Oops! I Did It Again" and the young pop singer sold millions and broke records. From this time the two singers were in the limelight creating their brands and Spears dropped her first album and Aguilera released her own debut album. Although Christina Aguilera did not quite as successful as Spears', she was able to sell more than a million copies and this cemented and established her brand as a legitimate pop star (Beverly 2005). "Genie in a Bottle," was one of the hits that propelled her into fame and at this point she was earning plenty of critical success (Azoulay 2003). Chafed being regarded as innocent, lighthearted as perceived by her fans was a Britney Spears was facing different controversies as her fame grew and they were accompanied by their successes where she developed her brand (Diamantopoulos 2005). The two celebrities have created their identity brands up to date and these brand names are attributed to their constant evolution of their brands as they climbed top of their careers and their fame. BRAND EVOLUTION Branding of celebrities entails involve the creation of identity as noted in Christina Augilera and Britney Spears case developing specific lifestyles and performance styles in the context of their industry. In the context of the two singers there is specific personality, style symbol and slogans associated with them respectively (Freling 2004). The aspect of brand between the two celebrities has evolved since their childhood performance and continues to evolve and recently they have trademarked their brand names thus protecting them. According to Azoulay (2003) the concept of branding in there music and tourism industry continues to evolve every now and then depending on the preference of the singer or the performer. It is notable that brand evolution in music and entertainment industry affects the entire perception and the societal fan base of the celebrity. This is attributed to the reason that the underlying brand of the two pop singers is a representation of the emotional and intellectual associations that the fans and the society in context perceive to the specific singers. According Diamantopoulos (2005) as the celebrity status and brand undergoes evolution the subject of concern who is the celebrity undergoes change in whereby the career that one pursues is in line with the underlying changes attributed to the evolution itself. Ascribing to this assertion it can be argued that Christina Augilera and Britney Spears similar brands at the beginning and the current differences is attributed to the brand evolution, this comes as a result of celebrity evolution which has a significant impact on the different career paths followed by the two celebrities. It is notable that Christina Augilera has its brand deviating towards film making, production and its initial brand of being a singer (Ballantyne 2006). She has also participated in various TV shows major role being a judge; this has promoted her brand recently. Christina Augilera brand is associated with various ventures apart from the above named a few which comprises such as being celebrity endorsement. Christina Augilera was endorsed in 2000 being the face of Fetish make-up line working in choosing appropriate colours and packaging. She is also a philanthropist where she is involved with various charities and being the spokesperson of World Hunger Relief, this has mainly made her an identity celebrity. Britney Spears on the other hand has laid his focus and brand on music mainly pop music and she has won various awards (Beverly 2005). Because of her brand Britney spears has established herself next to being a pop icon becoming the best selling teenage artist, in addition she is recognized as the best selling female artist coming fifth in the music and entertainment industry (Freling 2004). Her brand has evolved since 90s being a teen becoming an international pop culture icon. Britney Spears’ other ventures include product endorsements such as Skechers shoe company and Pepsi in 2001. Her brand is also associated with philanthropy whereby she has founded The Britney Spears Foundation, a charitable entity set up to help children in needs globally. Her brand under this is the search of healing quality that will benefit the children through her music and entertainment. Brand Evolution Dynamics According to Beverly (2005) in his study on human brand evolution provides that celebrity brand evolution occurs organically as the society and the consumer fan base experience and the extent to which they identify themselves with. Christina Augilera and Britney Spears brands have evolved from their early similarity to the current brand marketing environment. The evolution of these brands has facilitated and helped their respective marketing strategies which have changed the consumer culture, perceptions as well as their emotional attachment. According to @ he provides that both Christina Augilera and Britney Spears brands has evolved in response to their attachment of the fans and various other consumer interactions. The popularity and effective marketing of their music is a key major contributor to this brand evolution. Christina Augilera attributed to its brand nature has successfully created high-emotional involvement in her pursuance of her personal career through brilliant marketing strategies. Britney Spears has successfully created an iconic brand that most youthful entire sub-culture in the society is loyal to her in various aspects of performance (Azoulay 2003). According to Ryan (2006) asserting from the studies on brand development and evolution provides that the messages portrayed or communicated by Christina Augilera and Britney Spears should resonate and rational to their fans and society in general and this can change and evolve successfully the perception of these brands. Successful implantation of the above procedure ensures that both of the two brands gain their specific iconic and identity brands. Britney Spears brand notable has some advantages over Christina Augilera brand and this can be related to tangible results evident in their respective reviews and the most selling artist brand in the past years. According to (Peter 2002) this advantage over another is attributed to the fact that iconic brand brands have higher top-of-mind consumer awareness compared to identity brand. The fast evolution of Britney Spears brand compared to Christina Augilera brand has a direct impact on the sales regarding the two brands. From this it can be argued that the difference in the rate of brand evolution of these brands explains the reason why Britney Spears brand is more competitive compared to Christina Augilera brand (Ballantyne 2006). Furthermore the iconic brand evolution of Britney Spears provides a significant edge over Christina Augilera brand in music and entertainment industry (Ryan 2006). Britney Spears brand evolution notably has become a generic term in the entire industry reaching iconic status which has significant influence and mobility to the society and fans in general (Azoulay 2003). Britney Spears iconic status has offered its brand a second life which has contributed greatly to the success of this brand. According to (Peter 2002) in his studies on brand provides that iconic brands is characterized with a higher degree of equity hence its underlying brands are highly adaptable and resilient. Britney Spears iconic status attributing to its brand has a deeper insight, understanding and the need for flexibility and adaptability as the underlying industry and celebrity brands evolve. It is notable that Britney Spears brand has maintained it’s iconic thus allowing it to live on. On the other hand Christina Augilera brand should try to evolve faster and leverage its status to have successful re-launch and rebranding. INFLUENCE ON BRANDS According to David (2005) the key major changes in personal careers, employment expectations and business models in the context of peoples branding have a significant influence on the evolution, rise as well as the emergence of powerful iconic personal brands and identity brands in any given industry (David 2005). Ascribing from this assertion therefore follows that the change in career direction, performance and aspects of Christina Augilera and Britney Spears among other celebrities has influence to a greater extent the nature and the status of their brands in the music and entertainment industry. Christina Augilera and Britney Spears variance in their career paths has been determined by their personal driven desire for autonomy, accomplishments, achievements and personal recognition in the industry. The choice of the career path by the two music stars is based on minimizing the uncertainty and a suitable choice for career development and advancement (Diamantopoulos 2005). Difference in career pursuance of Christina Augilera and Britney Spears has influence their brand perception on in the society and the conformity with the underlying concerned sub-cultures in the society. According to Pringle (2008) in their study on the influence of career change on the evolving personal brand provides that it creates a greater challenge to the actor himself and this depends on adjustability time of the concern person (Pringle 2008). Therefore it can be argued that Christina Augilera and Britney Spears should address as early as possible the challenges and problems that are likely to be encountered during the brand evolution. To established a strong and recommendable brand Christina Augilera and Britney Spears should ensure that the pursued careers are consistent their specific goals and objectives in the context of brand evolution (Ryan 2006). The adopted brand should be able to create opportunities. In addition there is need to encourage promotions, training and ascription to a suitable brand thus maintaining mediocrity. Influential career developments are considered more productive people are more productive which contribute to improved personal branding higher incomes and achieve greater social status (Ryan 2006). A strong personal brand is essential for the overall success of the individual. Therefore Christina Augilera and Britney Spears have to follow influential career paths that shall ensure that the objectives and goals of the brand are achieved at whatever costs. This is attributed to the fact that it is important to build individual brand prior to a career change because this is an important step towards succeeding in a venture (Azoulay 2003). It is also notable that Christina Augilera and Britney Spears are influenced by the created vision of the ascribed career path which aims to position themselves strategically in the industry for competitive advantage and improved performance. According to David (2005) career change can affect personal brand either positively or negatively depending on exact idea that the individual in concern wants to achieve in the context of brand evolution. Career change to some extent facilitates plotting and planning how the personal brand can be managed for the realization of maximum benefits (Diamantopoulos 2005). PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH BRANDING Branding involve a lot of design and marketing cost in order to maintain a strong brand presence. A lot of advertising and PR over a period of time is necessary and it is costly, these include creating a brand image and ensuring that the brand is popular and known. It is notable that to create iconic or identity brand it requires a lot of exposure which is costly (Holmes 2012). Peoples branding contribute to individual person loosing personal image. Fans and clients can perceive the loose of personal touch because of branding. Personal branding discourages diversity where a brand is attached to a service or product hence to sell another product can be ineffective (Rakocevic 2011). This applies in cases where a brand focuses on one product. It is time consuming to create a brand considering the time needed for exposure. It also takes time to promote a brand to be well known. FUN COMMUNITY RESPONSE According to Levine (2003) on their study on brand development in societies provides that they key major target of branding is to influence and convince the community to use or support a certain brand. In the context of Christina Augilera and Britney Spears brands have been actually brought into life because both compel to the community. Su Holmes (2012) provides that this approach is the core secret that virtually every successful brand has embraced. These brands creates positive attitude, community oriented and fun loving. BRAND EXTENSIONS This is comprises of effective ways that Christina Augilera and Britney Spears brands can get the best financial return (Gilbert 2009). This involves considering extending a loved brand into international markets. Christina Augilera and Britney Spears brands since their establishment is known globally thus are maximizing their return as well as expanding its markets. It is notable that brands are expanding too fast into various countries. It is difficult to extent new product category because of the challenge posed by the strong brand. There is necessity to establish a brand that fits comfortably in between what it stands for as well as what people look for from the new product category. CONCLUSION Brand evolution is becoming a key major trend in music and entertainment industry because celebrities have intensified their efforts in creating their own brands. Christina Augilera and Britney Spears brands illustrate how personalities with same backgrounds and similarities create varying personality brands. Christina Augilera brand is one of the created identity brand while that of Britney Spears is regarded as iconic brand attributed to her greater influence in pop music. It is notable that despite the existing similarities between the two brands, different career paths has contributed to this variation. There are challenges and problems emerging from the establishment of these brands mainly the expensiveness and high costs involved. Fun and community response is essential to determine whether the community is responding favorably to the underlying brands. It is important to minimize risks through brand extensions by considering venturing in international markets. REFERENCES Azoulay, A. (2003). Do brand personality scales really measure brand personality? : The Journal of Brand Management, 143-155. Ballantyne, R. (2006). 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