Since her appearance on the Dr. Phil show, Danielle Bregoli has been featured on TMZ and interviewed on radio stations across the country. She even has a music video out. Who could have imagined that a disrespectful teenager would be this marketable today? Though her Dr. Phil story served as her platform, Danielle’s personality is what has her gaining millions of followers and views on social media.
Good ol’ social media. It’s a marketer’s best friend or worst enemy. In this case, social media proved that the people like (if not love) Danielle! You give the people something catchy to tweet about for a week then you find a way to propel your brand while the hype is still there. It is much easier said than done. We’ve seen social media phenomenons come and go, but Danielle is a special case. Perhaps we’re so over American politics that our only resolve is to turn to pop culture. Regardless of the motive, Danielle has had much more than her 15 minutes of fame.
If you’re anything like me, you’re both impressed and annoyed by the level of success Danielle is having. So how do we use Danielle as inspiration for our brands? One of my favorite musicals is Singin’ In The Rain. In this musical, one of the characters sings about how his dad told him to “make ’em laugh”… the audience that is. With any effective campaign, we have to appeal to the people. Danielle is a disrespectful, immature teenager who likes to fight. It was her threat, “Cash me ousside, how bow dah?” that led her to fame. So when it comes to our brands, we utilize those catchy aspects about us that appeal to our audience.
It is important to note that people bought into Danielle’s “funny” line before they bought into Danielle’s personality and lifestyle all together. We have to see our brands in the same light. Get the people to buy into us by giving them something to notice first. Advertisers do this every day. From the Dos Equis guy to Flo from Progressive. When it comes to branding ourselves, our companies, or our services, we have to be just as clever. Success is only a meme away.
Keiana Holleman 