The skinny from celebrity towers this week? Well, apart from Kate Moss causing outrage with her motto, “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels”, the news is:
Camilla Dallerup has quit I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! within a matter of days.
Oh no. Still, her ‘failure’ creates the perfect opportunity to talk about why you need to focus on the longevity of your brand, over more immediate and somewhat short-sighted gratification.
Dallerup who?
No-one’s arguing that reality celebrity programmes don’t ‘work’. Dallerup was known as a Strictly Come Dancing star before she waltzed her way into the jungle. Still, who’s going to remember Camilla come Christmas?
From a PR perspective, primetime series like Celebrity are a fantastic vehicle for the C- and D-listers –and that’s because the increasingly popular programmes offer the promise of a massive albeit temporary leap to list B by providing intensive exposure to a mass audience.
Still; where’s all this valuable PR going to get you can’t sustain it?
Evolving to survive – and win
Reportedly struggling with exhaustion and generally feeling under the weather, Camilla was seen sobbing, telling her fellow jungle dwellers: “I feel like I am struggling to speak properly… I don’t feel like anything. I don’t know what I need. I just find it really scary.”
Of course, the rest of the Celebrity contestants quickly rallied around to offer sugar and sympathy. Still, you can be sure that had she stayed and maintained that position within the group, their support and that of the public would have quickly dwindled - because she showed no sign of responding to their support by beginning to display strength.
What can we learn from Camilla? You need a marketing strategy that helps you exceed the expectations of your customers by responding effectively to their needs.
Becoming an A-lister
On 16th November, I’m a Celebrity scored 10.7million viewers at its peak – up from 8.9million last year. It appears that people can’t get enough — people.
But with the public appetite for a palatable persona and personality a little more longsighted, the trick to achieving star status with your customers is developing a strategy that keeps you visible and builds trust.
More staying power than your average celebrity
Much like a one-off advertising campaign, what a programme can’t do on its own is build a reputation that brings you new business in two years’ time. No: what you need is a highly visible long-term presence- a multi-channel relationship with your customers that makes you first choice, every time.
Online media and internet marketing that enables you to listen to your customers and respond to their changing needs: that’s the skinny on everyone’s lips here at ii.
Laura, Inspiration Inc