THE KARDASHIAN EMPIRE

THE KARDASHIAN EMPIRE

On the 14th of October 2007, the first-ever episode of Keeping Up with The Kardashians aired launching the Kardashian family into the spotlight. This was a time before social media was ingrained in society as a communication, business and marketing tool. Building exposure on a traditional linear TV show would allow the family to build a loyal fan base and audience through the format of reality TV.

Fig 3. (E!Network, 2007)

Prior to these celebrities had been inaccessible, something to aspire to, lust after or envy. When we look at the supermodel reign of the 90s, we can see that the shift from this type of celebrity to a more relatable public figure was welcomed. In the form of reality TV, we were able to gain an insight into the life of a family that had the perks of being relatable to viewers while also being out of reach in terms of their status, money and opportunities.

Fig 4. (i-D, n.d.)

The image in figure 4 showcases Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss, two of the 1990s most prominent and well-known supermodels. This type of untouchable status they held compared to the relatable family dynamic seen on the TV programme ‘Keeping Up with The Kardashians’ allowed for a deeper connection with their audience, thus developing a loyal consumer base.

Speaking in English Speech, Kris Jenner expresses that the success of the family brand is due to the plethora of individual brands and companies founded by each family member; “Everybody has their own completely different demographic… Kim and Kylie for example are 17 years apart... that’s two different generations” (Jenner, 2020) meaning that there has been a huge overall reach giving the family access to a variety of different markets, audiences and demographics. This loyal fan base has been established by the TV audience associating and relating to one or more of the personalities on the show. Rather than trying to sell one personality, with the outcome being subjective to an audience’s taste; the Kardashian empire has been successful as it has communicated several different personalities meaning that there is a higher likelihood that an audience will relate to at least one of them if not more.

In addition to this, the family aspect creates a dynamic that many people can either relate to or enjoy. This is an example of successful communication and consumer engagement as it gives the consumer options of what they are buying. If there was a shop that catered to most tastes you would surely go, there rather than travelling to several different shops to find your desired product. In a discussion with English Speech about the transition of their branding from more analogue methods such as magazine print and television, to social media platforms such as Twitter and Instagram, Kris Jenner and Kim Kardashian West reveal the benefits of paid posts. Talking about starting with off-brand paid brand deals at the beginning of their careers, “we did everything that came to us, even if it was really off-brand… quick trim, (a dieting product) when our brand is being curvy” (Kardashian West, 2020). This honesty allows us to paint a picture of the reliability of influencers and whether they can be trusted with honest promotion. However, speaking from a business point of view, the main goal is income therefore, if we view influencers as a business or brand, then ‘selling out’ may be a way for them to make an income.

That being said this attitude can work but it can also cause brand failure in some cases. Especially today, consumers are hyper-aware of the brands they invest in and influencers being exposed is something that is common on social media. This could be an example of why social media influence lacks a degree of stability as a career, as your career depends on the happiness of a consumer. However, this would also be like saying the same thing for every business owner and selfemployed person, which is not realistic. i think that the longevity of a career comes from the adaptability factors of the influencer. For example, Kim Kardashian has overcome many scandals from cultural appropriation to a leaked sex tape. This is why the Kardashian empire is a good example of how influencers can stand the test of time and actually grow and expand their businesses and brands. Looking at the Kardashian family brand now we can see that they fall into a more luxury niche, this is due to the ever-growing consumer base. The growth in audience resulted in more opportunities and therefore a higher income for the family. This means that today, they are as idealised and exclusive as Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss were in the 1990s, if not more so.

In nearly 20 years, the Kardashian empire has grown to an unbelievable level, with a plethora of different business ventures to support the stability of their income. In the potential event of a downfall in influencers, those who have identified niches, and created separate business ventures in conjunction with their influencer careers will be the people who have a career that is future-proof and can evolve into different avenues and move with the times.

The Kardashian empire has taught us that adaptability is one of the most important aspects of the longevity of a career in influencing and as a public figure. To further back this point, in an article by The List, Kim Kardashian’s individual businesses were ranked from least to most successful. On the list were Kardashian’s ventures into fashion and beauty at the start of her career, including Dash Boutique and Kardashian Beauty, these examples did not achieve the same success as the later brands. It is clear to see the evolution of Kardashian’s business knowledge and expansion into other fields, for example, her venture into gaming saw the Kim Kardashian: Hollywood game gaining developer company Glu $ 8 million in a quarterly review. “According to Forbes, the game launched in 2014 and was downloaded over 40 million times in 2015, becoming its developer company Glu's biggest money-maker” (Kulkarni, 2021). it is important to note that the socio-economic factors of the Kardashian empire are what allow it to utilise social media as a method of branding, marketing and promotion. For example, the celebrity status of the Kardashian clan is showcased in their social media following with over 600 million combined followers across their Instagram accounts. This mass following means that the way they are viewed by society often dictates their audience and therefore their consumer. For example, we buy into a personality as an influencer, therefore if an influencer is no longer engaging or interesting to a consumer they will stop buying into them. An example of this would be just one of the many times the family have culturally appropriated in terms of wearing hairstyles, accessories and editing pictures to take an aspect of a culture without giving credit to said culture. Figure 5 showcases Kendall Jenner’s scandal of culturally appropriating cornrows, a hairstyle traditionally worn by POC, without giving credit or acknowledging the history of the hairstyle and why it may be sensitive for some groups.