Celebrification: A Marketer’s Nightmare

L.A. used to be the butt of jokes because everyone there was perceived as being obsessed with the pursuit of fame. The narrative was that people on the left coast would do anything to grab some precious spotlight.

Now that fame culture and mindset is everywhere, with everyone. How else do you explain selfie sticks?

Today, anyone can be a star, and everyone wants to be one. Each of us is just a YouTube video away from immortality. We’re pathetic junkies looking to score some FaceBook “Likes”, broadcasting into the Twittersphere in search of amplification, posting to Pinterest and getting LinkedIn as if connections were life support systems.

We’re social media junkies, looking for that next hit of sweet, sweet social media love.

If Abraham Manslow was creating his “Hierarchy of Needs” today, he’d have to layer in a new level called “FAME” (sandwiched between love/belonging and esteem).

Each of us is a brand, and we’re all looking to build that brand. So what’s that mean for products and services trying to build their brands?

Trouble. Big, frickin’ hairy trouble.

Marketers face distracted audiences using screens as mirrors reflecting on themselves–– weary of chest-thumping transmissions from marketers interrupting valuable “me-time.” So, CMO, you’d better bring something of value. Critical, helpful information, relevant entertainment, meaningful emotional engagement. Something!

Because without taking into account the mindset of your audience and their craving for fame, you’ll never make your brand famous.