Jordyn Woods, the ex-best friend of Kylie Jenner (the youngest of the Kardashian clan), has been under fire this past week in the tabloids, hateful hashtags trending on twitter, instagram, and snapchat.
So what did she actually do?
She has been accused of hooking up with Khloe Kardashian’s Baby Daddy Tristan Thompson. Khloe is Kylie’s sister, and this is definitely considered breaking the girl code, whatever that is these days. Apparently she went to a party at the NBA player’s (Tristan) house and were reportedly canoodling throughout the night and shared a scandalous kiss. When the Kardashian/Jenner family found out, Jordyn was kicked out of Kylie’s guest house, and all the other “perks” of being the best friend of Kylie Jenner were quickly taken back.
So, why am I sitting here discussing the drama of reality tv stars? Because it got me thinking about how quickly one decision can affect your entire brand.
If you have a company already, or are thinking of starting one; here are some things to consider when reflecting on the importance in a brand name:
Is your brand associated with your name?
Paris Hilton. Kylie Jenner. Kim Kardashian. Donald Trump. These are all people who have used their actual names to symbolize their business ventures. Paris Hilton perfumes, Kylie Cosmetics, KKW Beauty, Trump Towers, Trump University, and so on and so forth. These brands are recognized worldwide and have made each of these individuals millionaires, and even billionaires. Does your brand have your name associated with it?
What are the pro’s of having your name associated with your brand:
- Piggybacking on your 15 minutes of fame (ie. Paris Hilton Sex Tape, Kim Kardashian Sex Tape) This simply means that when you are known for something you did, and have the whole world looking at you, why not monetize that and brand yourself and create a brand for yourself and sell things to your fans and haters? *Cough* Paris and Kim *Cough*…or should I say, slow clap?
- Maybe your family business has a great reputation and you want to have your brand be trusted faster than it would take to introduce a new brand
What are the con’s of having your name associated with your brand:
- It is very risky. Remember, your whole family has the same last name and they will now also be tied to your brand and their actions will reflect positively or negatively on your brand.
- It’s harder to walk away from or sell a company that is so reliant on the brand name to be trusted and successful with your target market. If you are an entrepreneur who wants to move on from one of your companies, you have to be willing to sign over your name and lose controlling the message you are sending to your consumers through a brand that still carries your name.
I’m sure there are many more pro’s and con’s to having your brand attached to a name, but those are just a few.
Who has had problems with their brand being associated with their name?
Melania Trump and the “I really don’t care” Jacket
- You may or may not know about this one. But remember that one time Melania, the First Lady of the United States of America, wore a jacket that had the words “I REALLY DON’T CARE” sprawled across the back of her overpriced jacket? Because of her name, and her attachment to Donald Trump, the brand; this caused a worldwide outrage and even affected politics and got a response from the President himself, Donald Trump. But where was Melania going when she wore this jacket? To visit the border. I’m definitely not going to get into this any more because, hey, not the right blog; but you see what the problem was here, right? Melania’s seemingly small decision to wear a certain jacket affected the Donald Trump brand.
Roseanne Barr’s Self Destruction by a single Tweet
- Remember when Roseanne got a reboot? Maybe not, because it didn’t even make it halfway through the season. Roseanne posted a racially charged post on Twitter and in one click of a button, the reboot was shut down and Roseanne Barr the brand was forever scarred with her bad decision. The show was initially cancelled, but now they have “The Conners”, which consists of literally the exact same cast, minus Roseanne. This is the perfect example of how your personal decisions can affect your entire brand.
SO: What can you do to protect your brand and your name associated with it?
Here’s a few things:
Be careful with social media
- Remember that everything you post will be there forever. Everything you post reflects not only you, but your entire brand. Think twice before posting anything.
Establish a clear Mission Statement and Vision for your Brand
- Now, this isn’t just the one paragraph, typical blabbering on about how you will be honest and kind to others. Get specific! Have a talk with your employees about what it means to work for your company and what the brand values are.
Have policies in place to be able to handle Social Media Scandals
Read here for some advice You want to have a plan in place for not if but when this happens within your company. If someone who works for you says something that offends someone else on social media, it will negatively reflect your brand and you have to have a plan in place to deal with it. Don’t wait!
There are many other ways you can prepare your company and brand for a Brand crisis, comment below if you know any!
Thinking of starting a company and now you’re not so sure you want it to be attached to your name? But now you have no idea what to name your brand? Call us! Let’s brainstorm!