Celebs' brands: Business savvy

Celebs use their star power to launch brands.

In today’s culture — where diversification and experimentation are not only encouraged but are also required —  it’s no longer startling to see stars endorsing brands and causes — be it toothpaste, diet plans and sportswear. However, what’s relatively new is seeing the celebrities launching their own business ventures either to boost their images or to earn steadier pay checks or for charitable causes. And why not? Stars obviously have some clear advantages over less famous entrepreneurs as most have the kind of money required to start up a business. Whether these businesses actually thrive in the long run or not is another question altogether.

This past week, we tracked down certain celebrities to find out what they are up to on the entrepreneurial front.

Pop star Madonna, who launched a teen line with her daughter, last year, is now coming up with a global fashion brand ‘Truth or Dare’ — the name of her candid 1991 documentary. “Over the past several decades, I’ve been approached countless times to create my own brand. The timing is right I have found great partners in Iconix, a retail distribution company, who can help translate my vision to reality,” said the pop star. Aimed at women between the ages 27 and 50, the brand will include clothes, perfumes, handbags and lingerie. It is said to hit the stores across US by next year and will have branches in a lot of countries across the globe.

Whereas, the “Material Girl” singer will take her fashion business venture to the next level, English rock band Coldplay has decided to invest in a flashing wristband business. Sounds random? Not really, the group’s decision to venture into wristbands is so that fans wear the bands during their concerts to increase audience participation.

The “Fix You” rockers — Chris Martin, Guy Berryman, Johnny Buckland and Will Champion — have teamed up with electronics firm RB Concepts for the venture. “It’s huge to be working with Coldplay. The next move would be to have the wristbands at sporting events and night-time events. The big thing is audience participation, this means bands can relate more to the audience,” said RB Concepts boss Clive.

Meanwhile, supermodel Kate Moss, who got into the perfume business back in 2007, has now launched her perfume ‘Lilabelle’, which has been inspired by her nine-year-old daughter Lila Grace. Lilabelle joins the Kate Moss Parfumes line, which sells numbers like Vintage, Vintage Muse and Kate. “Lilabelle is my most personal fragrance yet, inspired by my daughter Lila. It is a really soft and gentle scent yet also a bit daring,” the 37-year-old said. “I created it for both for adult women who want to remain young at heart and teens who want glamour and sophistication. It’s my gift to every woman and girl who live life to the fullest,” she added.

(With additional information from IANS)

Published in The Express Tribune, November 7^th,  2011.