Kim Kardashian: Communication is Key
Posted: April 14, 2015, 10:56 p.m.
by Kaitlin Goins.
Yet again, the Kardashian name is in the news, but not exactly for sex scandals, unexpected pregnancies or nasty divorces. Kim Kardashian’s mobile game app “Kim Kardashian: Hollywood” was named Hottest Mobile Game in Adweek’s annual Hot List. While I do not agree with the Kardashians on many subjects and find their show and personalities quite, well, revolting . . . I have to respect Kim and her empire — especially the strategies she has taken to market this recent endeavor.
Adweek featured the celebrity-turned-tech-star in an article. As I scrolled through my Twitter feed on Monday, March 2, countless followers had retweeted the article, followers I wouldn’t expect to pay attention to the Kardashians. So, intrigued, I clicked on the link. Her business intuition is surprisingly fantastic, even if she attributes some successes to coincidences.
For example, Kardashian’s mobile game was launched on a day she was traveling to Mexico. When she posted pictures on Instagram, everyone who was playing along was tweeting and commenting, “‘I just updated my game, and I’m in Mexico with you.’ They would literally get a bikini like the one I had Instagrammed in a photo,” she said.
The app is updated constantly with her daily outfits and vacations. Even if the strategy was developed by coincidence, she noticed people were talking about it and took advantage of the situation for the future.
Beyond that, Kim Kardashian realized the importance of communication in her business. Unlike many of her celebrity counterparts, most of the Kardashian brands stay intact.
“We realized that it worked so well because we are in such good communication — myself and the Glu team — to make updates in real time,” Kardashian explained.
Her strategy is working, too. With four million active daily users and profits more than $700,000 per day, I’d say the app is worth planning an outfit a few days in advance. Other celebrities are actually taking notice of this business venture. Adweek reports that Katy Perry may be releasing a similar app soon.
So, if you’re ignoring Kim Kardashian because of her less-than-reputable past, maybe it’s time to forgive and forget and see what she has in her Versace briefcase. As much as I hate to admit it, Kim Kardashian is a genius when it comes to brand management.
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Great article! While I do not always agree with the Kardashian’s decisions, I have to admire someone who is so business savvy. I have the game and I am absolutely addicted. The game is constantly being updated so that it stays current with the times, especially when it comes to fashion. I also enjoy how it gives you short-term goals in order to reach the long-term goal of becoming an “A-List” celebrity.
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I absolutely agree with this article. While I do not always agree with the Kardashian’s antics, you have to admire someone who is so business savvy. I have the game and I am absolutely addicted. The game is constantly being updated so that it stays current with the times, especially when it comes to fashion. I also enjoy how the game gives you short-term goals in order to reach the long-term goal of becoming an “A-List” celebrity!
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Interesting take to the Kardashian empire. Their questionable past has left some people to not take them seriously, but I agree with you that it is time to forgive and forget. Kim Kardashian is bringing in thousands of dollars a day on this app and I agree it is due to one big thing, communication. The constant communication is a great way to have her fans be involved in every aspect of her life and it is a great example of how communication is key in the business world.
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I really enjoyed your blog, Kaitlin! It is quite interesting to see how Kim Kardashian has a great mind for business in spite of the way she portrays herself on television. I remember when I first heard that she was going to be releasing this app, I thought it would be a flop. However, Kim has managed to surprise me yet again, and not in an entirely unpleasant manner. I’ll be interested to see if and how other celebrities try to keep up with the growing Kardashian empire!
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I too agree that Kim Kardashian and her team are genius to have come up with this app. When it debuted this past summer, I was excited to download it to my phone. I did not know I would become so addicted to the game and even spend money on it for extra power ups. However, I did not feel to ashamed of my new addiction because it was shared with millions of other users around the world. Kardashian and her team made a great and very marketable decision to constantly update the app and make users, such as myself, feel that we were with Kim on her trip in Mexico.
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You made a really great point in this post! While the Kardashians came onto the scene in a less-than-classy way, nobody can doubt the fact that they’ve ingeniously been able to turn their “15 minutes of fame” into a full-blown- and now diverse- empire. Kim and her team stuck to what she does best, fashion and celebrity, and applied it to the booming mobile gaming industry. This formula could be applied to dozens of other endeavors, with each success providing more support for the brand’s extension and growth. Whatever the secret to celebrity and success is, the Kardashians and their team have it figured out.
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Great blog, Kaitlin! So true that the Kardashians don’t leave much to the imagination, but it’s admirable that they’ve turned that public spotlight into a lucrative brand. Questionable morals, on-point business intuition. Guess you can’t have it all!
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