Another Product Line For The Kardashian Empire

Recently the Kardashians made a huge announcement they will be launching their own makeup line. Of course Kim Kardashian is the main face of the empire but these ladies are only in their early thirties with a huge amount of success and show no signs of stopping. Their business ventures range from of course the reality shows, books, fragrances, jewelry line, clothing lines, stores and dozens of miscellaneous ventures all of them bearing the Kardashian name. The Kardashian empire just of last year pulled over 65 million dollars. It is no doubt that this family knows a thing or two on marketing, promotion and publicity.

Kim is infamous for using her social media accounts to promote her products and has over 6.9 million Facebook fans and over 15 million twitter followers it is no wonder that every business venture has been a success. Also she is known for charging $10,000 dollars from sponsors for every tweet that she broadcasts on Twitter and charges a few thousand dollars for guest appearances in hosting events and club appearances.

But what is the key element to this booming money making empire? Well, Kim told Success magazine  that, “Every six months my mom and I set goals and visions for what we want to achieve.. Then we write a goal that is outlandish and outside what we think is our goal range.” It is that simple, setting goals and making sure you are achieving those goals.

The Kardashians have successfully used every platform correctly by maximizing business opportunities for the entire family. It seems that everyone wants to be on reality television for their 15 minutes of fame but not this family. They have used their reality shows Keeping Up with the Kardashians, and Kim and Kourtney take New York, and Kourtney and Khole Take Miami for publicity and marketing and promotions for all of their business ventures. BRILLIANT! In my opinion they are the only family and individuals that have used this platform of reality television for their business ventures successfully and make it look so flawless.

Not to mention all of the family members have their own blog sites where fans can keep up to date with each member daily. The blog website is filled with behind the scenes look into the daily lives of the Kardashians. But don’t be fooled it is really just another platform for them to use for their business ventures. 

When filming, you can catch the Kardashian sisters in their clothing line or conveniently working at their stores. The Kardashian sisters are always drenched in their products every moment of every day especially when filming for their reality shows. Once again using this platform for their business ventures. 

“People aren’t stupid, you really have to love what you do and you really have to believe in what you’re working for, for everyone else to believe in you.” So true way to go Kim!

It will be interesting to see the launch of their makeup line but it is no doubt that this will be another successful business launch adding to the Kardashian empire. I find it really interesting that no one has caught on to this business scheme that they have created or maybe people do know but they just can't help but love the Kardashians. 

-Sara 

The New Vevo Program

It all started in the early month of May when Rihanna joined forces with VEVO to premier her new music video “Where Have You Been”. Rihanna is a mega superstar with a huge social presence, and is considered one of the top social musicians according to Billboard with a Facebook following of 57 million and over 20 million followers on Twitter. It was no surprise with a following like this that she was able to break the record with the most Vevo and YouTube views in 24 hours with over 5 million!

Unfortunately her record would be broken in only five days later. Justin Bieber joined forces with Vevo to premiere his music video “Boyfriend”.  Justin Bieber like Rihanna is always among the top social musicians with over 23 million Twitter followers and over 44 million Facebook followers. So its no surprise that he could break a 24 hour record. But he did not just break the recent record but almost doubled it with over 8 million views in 24 hours.   

A few months after the record breaking views set by Rihanna and Justin Bieber Vevo announced a partnership deal with Facebook. Vevo wants to be known as the trusted source that artists use rather than YouTube which has become a video sharing website for everyone. Vevo had another announcemnent up their sleeve, a certified program that praises artists for their millions of views. This certified program offers amazing incentives to both the artist and their fans. 

The certified program kicked off on June 12^th with Justin Bieber, who holds the record of most views overall with over 2.5 billion! The certified artist will be on featured the main page of Vevo along with extra content. There will be behind the music video clips, never before seen footage, and a special fan will be chosen to meet their idol to present them with the certified award. Which of course will be recorded and uploaded when the artist becomes certified.

I think this new platform is going to bring the importance of music videos back again. Unlike a majority of kids today I grew up on MTV, BET, VH1 back when all they had to play was music videos and music content. I miss being able to turn on the television and letting it play for hours while I worked on other things. I can't wait to see some of the extra footage behind major music videos like "No Church in The Wild".  

-Sara

Tips For New Professionals From an Entertainment Lawyer

I had the amazing opportunity to interview an Entertainment Lawyer who has great insight into the industry from her years of experience. Julee L. Milham has been practicing law since 1986 in the field of entertainment, intellectual property and business law. Julee has practiced law in numerous states such as Florida, New York, California, D.C and she is a approved arbitrator for intellectual property matters with the American Arbitration Association. I asked some key questions that any new professional would like to know from a lawyer with years of experience in the entertainment industry.  

Here are important tips and takeaways that any new publicist or marketing specialist should know before diving into the business. 

Tip 1: Don’t use other people’s work

“I see a several common mistakes for marketing people. First, they often like to copy popular things thinking that if they tweak it just a little they won’t be committing trademark or copyright infringement, which is not true.”

Tip 2: Make sure your company name is unique rather than suggestive because it will be a weak trademark!

She stressed this because when you are protecting your trademark you will have a greater level of protection if the trademark is fanciful versus generic. Take Kodak for an example which is considered a fanciful trademark versus Orlando Dry Cleaner is really generic.

Tip 3: Make sure you have a written contract for everything and don’t rely on oral agreements!

“One problem EVERYONE has is their failure to get copyright assignments for work done for them.”

Tip 4: Get a lawyer especially if there are significant rights at risk.

It is always good to have a lawyer, they can guide you when drafting contracts and they can read contracts or agreements that come your way. This can be really beneficial and can save you from getting into a sticky situation.

Tip 5: Set a minimum requirements for performance in all contracts!

This will protect you, if you have a client that does not have a great work ethic and you will be able to end the contract because they are not meeting the requirements that you have set.

Tip 6: Read what you sign and always obtain copies!

Make sure you read and are able to understand the contract fully before you sign! Sometimes, contracts can have a playful way with words and this will change the meaning of the overall contract. It is always best to have someone else look over the contract to make sure there is a clear understanding of the requirements and terms.

 “There’re always free documents on the internet but they’re rarely a good fit.”

Tip 7: Don’t always rely on contracts/documents on the internet.

Even though the internet is always a great source to use, it sometimes provides you with inaccurate information. Which you can not afford to use when dealing with your business. 

Overall, those are my little insight tips that I have learned from my interview! Hopefully, these tips will come in handy to any new professionals in the industry. If you want more information on Julee or have some questions vista her website and she has a great FAQ section. 

-Sara 

Not All Publicity is a Good Thing

Public relations is a great profession for anyone in the entertainment industry especially today. Now more than ever entertainers need a publicist to protect them and properly introduce them and keep them relevant in the media. Today it is easier to enter the entertainment industry than in previous years. Public relations is continuing to rise and is one of the only professions that is increasing with employment.  There are times where an entertainer needs a publicist to protect them especially with false endorsements. More entertainers are endorsing products today, and it seems that anytime you turn on the television or turn the page of a magazine you see an entertainer telling you why you should purchase this product. Sometimes, companies will give a false impression that an entertainer is endorsing their product which at times damages their  public persona. Here are three major false endorsements that has happen in recent years. 

Michael Jordan vs. Dominick’s Finer Foods & Osco Jewel Food Stores

Back in 2009, Sports Illustrated honored Michael Jordan in a commemorative issue titled Jordan: Celebrating A Hall of Fame Career. The issue was distributed nationwide. Inside the magazine, included a full page Jewel Osco and Dominick’s Finer Foods page that were originated to honor him as a legend  and his contribution to the sport of basketball. Both pages seemed innocent but taking a closer look it seemed that Michael Jordan endorsed both places in Chicago. When Michael Jordan found out about  both tributes he was upset because he felt that it was damaging his overall public persona. Michael Jordan proceeded to sue both stores for $10 million dollars in damages citing; false endorsements, consumer fraud, deceptive trade practices and unfair competition. The US District Judge Gary Feinerman found it to be a tribute to the legend and stated both stores were just exercising their right of freedom of speech. 

Kim Kardashian vs. Old Navy (The Gap)

Just recently, over the summer there were commercial ads that ran promoting old navy clothes that featured a woman who looked like an identical Kim Kardashian. The woman who was featured in the commercial is upcoming actress Melissa Molinaro. The commercial was broadcasted on numerous networks and estimated a total reach about 2 million people. Of course, Kim Kardashian caught whim of this and was furious and pursued the clothing company for $20 million dollars in damages. Kim is claiming that the commercials tarnished her image and reputation which is a vital part of her career. Once Kim Kardashian publicly complained about the commercials, Old Navy responded and removed them from the broadcasts. She was not satisfied with just the removal and wants to make sure the clothing giant does not repeat this mistake again. Sadly, the court date is set for April 23,2013 with federal judge Dale S. Fisher. It will be interesting to see what happens in this case and what the judge sees fit. Old Navy is claiming that Kim’s accusations are false because her image and reputation was already tarnished before the commercial even aired. Personally, I hope they have more weapons than just that because they are taking on the the Kardashian family and they are going to need it. 

Curtis James Jackson III vs. Taco Bell (Yum! Brands)

Back in 2008, Taco Bell wanted to spread the word on their “79 cent, 89 cent, and 99 cent” menu but did not want to pay the costs for the publicity and marketing. So they thought that having rapper 50 cent tied in with the company would be a great fit because of his name.They released a letter that was addressed to Jackson to all news outlets around the country, but didn’t send the letter to him first. Inside the letter, they stated that if he would agree to the terms of the contract then they would give him $10,000 dollars to the charity of his choice. This lead consumers to believe that the rapper was a “sell out” and he was a paid endorser of Taco Bell. Curtis Jackson took the food giant to court and sued them in $4 million dollars in damages for using his name and trademark without his authorization to promote their food. Curtis Jackson and his lawyer claimed that Taco Bell not only used his name and image without his permission but enjoyed all the benefits of his mega star publicity without having to pay for the benefits. The case was settled but the terms of the deal were kept confidential but it is defiantly clear to see that Taco Bell were at fault. 

As you can see false endorsements can be very costly to the business and the entertainer. Hopefully more companies will take the necessary and appropriate steps in signing an entertainer as an endorser for their products or services.

-Sara 

How to be a Great Public Relations Manager.

A public relations specialist is a person who creates and manages their clients image and brand through various mass mediums. Their daily tasks are long and changes daily depending on the client. A public relations specialist functions and responsibilities are tailored to their individual clients and with some clients they can be also be in a managerial role. Some PR specialists work independently and others work on a team. A PR manager has the same duties as an independent PR specialist but overseas an entire staff.

It is vital for a PR manager to understand the effective way in managing their staff. Some PR managers have found themselves in managerial roles with no experience in management and they face multiple challenges. Here are some key points that a PR manager should keep in mind to be successful while also having the managerial hat.

1. It is important to understand how to be a leader not a boss.

There is a major difference with being a boss versus being a leader. A boss gives orders to their staff and tells people what to do.  A leader inspires and motivates people to want to do their job. The ability to be a leader rather than a boss is more effective with managing and is better overall for both parties.

2. Learning to trust your staff to take on projects.

It is really important that managers give their staff projects to participate in and work on rather than just giving them simple daily tasks. If a manager gives their staff only tasks, then the staff will start to feel that they don’t have any importance and will not give their all to their job. This will also give their staff a sense of achievement and ownership which will make the employee want to work and feel inspired to give their all.

3. Learning to incorporate the staff in crisis situations.

PR managers also need to learn to incorporate the staff when a problem arises. This could bring different outlooks and solutions to the problem and will give both the manager and the employee a sense of how to handle situations. If the employee handles the situation well with a similar outlook then the manager knows that they can lean on them to assist with any problems in the near future. If the employee does not understand the situation or does not solve the problem the way the manager sees fit then they have to decide if they can be taught how to solve the problem or maybe the job is not the right fit. 

-Sara 

Diva's Night by X-Factor ladies  

Always maintain relationships while negotiating!

In the entertainment industry negotiations can make or break you especially in the field of Public Relations where relationships are everything. Almost everyday a PR rep deals with negotiations whether it is with a client, other PR reps, or the media. Mari Ortiz gave me some insight dealing with negotiations in public relations. She is a well known PR rep who has worked in the industry for about 5 years dealing with musicians and various talents in the entertainment industry.

1. Always be prepared and do your homework!

One major important fact while negotiating is to be prepared and do your homework. She stressed this during our interview which was interesting because one would think that anyone would always do their homework but that is not the case. Sadly, she has seen this happen and experienced this herself. “Nothing is worse than not being prepared for a meeting or a negotiation.”

2. Be knowledgeable

One would think that this is common sense but Mari stressed that this has happened with her personally. She described an instance where she wanted a client being featured in the magazine and she had sent them information prior to the meeting but they failed to look at it. The magazine rep had to excuse themselves at the beginning of the meeting to look over the information which should have been done prior. This unfortunately sets the tone and makes the person feel that their entire business transaction will not be taken seriously.

3. Don’t use dirty tactics while negotiating

Mari stressed this as one of the main points with negotiating. “Even if the other side uses dirty tactics, one of the most important things with Public Relations is keeping relationships.” Keeping relationships is key and vital for a PR rep and is the main reason a PR rep is successful.  

Any PR rep should always remember these three main points while negotiating! 

Good luck 

-Sara