By Darren Gilbert

As much as you might not like one or two of them, you have to commend them. They know how to make the most of the publicity they get. Brands could do well to learn from them.

Become the news

In 2014, Miley Cyrus was the most talked about celebrity in Hollywood. At a time when her personal brand and relevance were fading, she literally became the news. Her controversial performances and outrageous costumes made people sit up and take notice.

“By calculating every outlandish move she made, she was able to reinvent her personal brand and go on to win several awards for the launch of her new album, Bangerz,” says Bradly Howland, account director at Epic MSLGROUP.

Kanye West is another example of a celebrity who has followed this route. However, he appears to be losing his grip on reality, as well as his personal brand, with Twitter tirades, talk about debt issues and a recent outburst on Saturday Night Live, continues Howland.

“While it is important to stay relevant, without a carefully calculated plan to do so, brands can easily lose focus and cause more damage than good,” says Howland.

Stay true to your brand

On the topic of controversial celebrities, another one is Lady Gaga. However, unlike most celebrities and performers, Lady Gaga is the same on stage as she is off it.

Brands could do well to emulate this. “It is so important that companies stay true and consistent with the brand they create in the market place,” says Howland.

Melanie Ramjee, owner of TuTone Communications agrees: “You are your brand, so you need to live it daily.” This means ensuring that whatever you do, it needs to come back to what you stand for as a brand.

If, however, you do want to change your brand, ensure that it’s done timely and properly. The last thing you’d want are customers who are confused and unsure about you as a brand. “Changing too quickly and inconsistently can confuse consumers and ultimately damage the brand and business in the long run,” says Howland.

The same can be said for celebrities, points out Tamryn Sher, account director at Plato Communications. “Celebrities themselves are brands and must carefully consider partnerships in line with their brand image.”

Stand for what you believe in

It is, however, important to also stand for what you believe in. This includes getting involved in a cause close to your heart or in-line with what your organisation values and stands for.

One local example of this is SHOUT, which was founded in 2007 by Danny K and Kabelo Mabalane. Today, SHOUT has become a leader in crime fighting and crime prevention.

“It’s important to give back to your community as consumers are more likely to support a brand that is giving back to others too,” adds Sher. Just like Danny K and Kabelo Mabalane, as a brand, you can become desirable for the role you play in changing South Africa for the better.

Time your campaigns

While building your brand is important, so is timing. If you launch a product or service at the wrong time, it can be easily forgotten. This isn’t because your product is bad, but rather because you’ve failed to take into account any external factors.

Howland explains: “When planning your business and marketing strategies, take into account all industry events, trends, and developments that would be relevant to anything you plan on doing.” For example, with Easter fast approaching, think about how to place your services or products to take advantage of this season.

Going back to Miley Cyrus, her marketing team knew that her performance at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards would give her the hype she needed to launch her next single. That single was Wrecking Ball

What are your thoughts? Do you have any other PR lessons that we should know about? Tell us below.