In 2019, Forbes Magazines named Kylie Jenner as the youngest self-made billionaire. That same year, her company, Kylie Cosmetics, was valued at $900 million.
It is easy to assume that Jenner’s success is the result of the privilege of having a name under a celebrity family. However, while growing up in the spotlight may have helped, we must acknowledge that celebrity status does not guarantee success in any other business or career path. In fact, the Kardashian-Jenner family has had a couple of failures as business entrepreneurs. For example, in 2014, Kylie Jenner published a sci-fi book that didn’t sell as many copies as expected.
What separates the success of Kylie Jenner cosmetics from other business failures in her family is the brand strategy.
We will cover the brand strategy used in Kylie cosmetics and how to apply it to any business.
Building a Fan and Client Base
Forbes Magazine stated, “Kylie Jenner built a $900 million fortune in less than three years”. While Jenner did achieve to earn that money in 3 years, the process to do it may have taken longer.
Let’s take a look at Kylie Jenner’s trajectory to create a fan base:
Modeling Career (2012-present)
Jenner’s modeling career began in 2012 with the clothing company PacSun — which also lead to a collaboration with the brand to create the clothing line ‘Kendall and Kylie’. This was the beginning of the Jenner sisters to target a fan base.
Social media Presence (2011-present)
Kylie’s contract doesn’t state the number of appearances she is obligated to do on ‘Keeping Up with the Kardashians’.
Her fan base was mostly born out of her interaction with people through social media channels, such as Vine, Snapchat, Instagram, and Tumblr.
Through social media, she showed that she was just another teenage girl with a perky personality who also happened to have celebrity status. Kylie became an idol to many normal teenagers.
Sharing Mindful and Personal Content
Through social media, Kylie shared her genuine interest in beauty and makeup. This would later be crucial to develop her makeup brand.
In 2015, Kylie created a YouTube Channel which focused on doing Makeup tutorials on herself: a series of tutorials on how to look like Kylie Jenner by Kylie Jenner.
Creating a Product with a Purpose
Kylie has been quite open about her insecurities on the size of her lips and how it lead her to get temporary lip fillers.
We can assume that Kylie Lip Kits — the first product created under Kylie Cosmetics — was made to help women fulfill their insecurities and enhance their natural beauty.
The targeted audience flooded to buy her new lip kits. Kylie using her own products makes them more personal.
On a final note, Kylie Jenner is the face of the brand — not the lipsticks, not the cosmetics. Her brand is successful because it is personal. She created the brand with a personal purpose. She is open about insecurities which make her relatable to others. Her products may feel like a recommendation from a “friend” rather than from a salesperson.
The truth is, any brand can be as influential as Kylie Cosmetics. You don’t need the celebrity factor for your business to succeed. At Web Content Development, we are providing free consultation for any business looking to expand their client base. Reach out to us! We are here to help.
