Current Trend

Today, I will be discussing several reality television shows and a trend that has been occurring. There have been numerous reality stars to have side business ventures to gain themselves more fame.  Once their show gains success their name becomes a brand and the start to gain recognition outside of their medium. Some of the people to gain fame outside of reality television are Bethanny Frankel, Nene Leakes, Tamar Braxton, and etc. These personalities have utilized reality television as a platform to start a business.

Reality television shows have a trend of getting great personalities that are successful in their own right prior to the show.  The shows get successful and then once these personalities are more established with a bigger platform they market themselves as a brand. A lot of the reality stars do appearances at nightclubs and at events for a fee. Depending on the popularity of the person their fee might be more than a television actor.

One of the best-known reality stars that know how to market their business are the Kardashians. The Kardashians have made more than 206 million dollars in ad revenue. They have multiple endorsements, fashion line, and etc.  They are at the top of the chain when it comes to reality stars being successful in business. By tweeting an endorsement of one product Kim Kardashian made $20 million. They have definitely used their reality show as a starting point to where they wanted to be.

Some of the reality stars from the Bravo network have found fame in the same medium as television but either hosting or acting. Nene and Bethenny are two of the most successful Housewives outside the show. Nene has worked with Glee creator Ryan Murphy on two of his shows. Nene has said that, “I’m really just trying to build a brand, and it’s reallyimportant. I want longevity, I don’t want to just be a reality star. You know,I was a business woman when they found me and I want to continue to be abusiness woman.” She will also be debuting a new clothing line, production company and is going into the wedding business. 

Bethenny Frankel started off as a contestant in the Apprentice: Martha Stewart and then was casted as The Real Housewives of New York City. After being on the show for a year and having a spinoff reality show she launched Skinny Girl Cocktails, wrote books, fitness videos and now has a talk show. She currently has written four best selling books. 

Even though they are many people who have successfully came out with their fashion lines, book deals, movies and other ventures outside of their show. There are also the reality stars that do not have success once their show has ended. It seems like the only cast member who is still a brand name is Snooki from the Jersey Shore cast.  She has written a best-selling book and keeps herself in the public eye to further her brands. She has a perfume line, tech accessories, a new music agency and other products that she has under her brand. There has been also Sheree Whitfield who has had her house foreclosed after being fired from the Atlanta Housewives show. She started a jewelry line that hasn’t seen much success. She started her line after getting the boot from Bravo. If she was still on the show she might have utilized it to promote her jewelry line, but I think the fact that it is in a pricy boutique store in Los Angeles doesn’t help her either.

Being a reality television show is an outlet for someone to build his or her brand. It doesn’t have to be the only way to get fame and the success. By using the television show to start other avenues is a great way to expand your fame. I have now seen current television shows openly being used as a stepping stool. Bruno Mars’s sisters, The Lylas, are utilizing their reality show to get recognition as musical artists. These avenues are a great tool for people who are looking to market themselves as a brand but just because they are on television do not make consumers want to buy their products or make them smart businesspeople.

Nene Leake's Branding http://s2smagazine.com/1179/watch-what-happens-to-nene/