We’ve changed the way we do celebrity culture in the last decade or so. We want them down-to-earth, relatable and flawed. We want to be able to reach out and touch them. Stars like the Duchess of Sussex and even Beyonce have PR machines that create the feeling that you can lounge with them in sweatpants and laugh over coffee, if the right opportunity presented itself.
Ever since Rihanna came on the scene as a recording artist nearly two decades ago, she has aggressively resisted this perception. There is a famous GIF of her that has made its way to all corners of the internet, showing her rolling up a tinted SUV window while rolling her eyes. You cannot reach out and touch her. There are no sweatpants and lattes. She is the celebrity, and you are the mortal. She holds court when and where she sees fit. Rap artists of considerable fame like Drake stammer and tremble in her presence. Her brand thrives on her unattainability. And it works.
Rihanna’s megawatt star power has only increased in recent years, with the launch of her makeup and lingerie lines, and now her latest venture in fashion. Where other recording artists of color have struggled to cross over from music to fashion, she has sailed. Most celebrities lend their images or work with brands, but Rihanna is a brand. Which is why it made sense that the biggest brands asked her to headline the most prestigious concert, the Pepsi halftime show at the SuperBowl.
And she turned it down. Most women, even famous ones, turn down dates. Rihanna turned down the Superbowl.
The reason is just as staggering: she didn’t want to do it for personal and branding reasons. She told Vogue in an exclusive interview that the NFL’s treatment of Colin Kaepernick contradicted her values. “I couldn’t dare do that,” she said, champagne flute in hand. “Who gains from that? Not my people. I just couldn’t be a sellout. I couldn’t be an enabler.”
The branding aspect of her reasoning is implied. Rihanna knows very well who her target audience is, and appearing to capitulate to the same organization that punished Kaepernick for standing up for the black community would be a betrayal.
For Rihanna, it’s all about her audience — her fans, her consumers, and how they feel about her. She calls them the “Navy.” Like her, her fans are open and vocal about their expectations, and it is on her to make branding decisions that they can embrace.
So even the unattainable Rihanna, who dates billionaires, graces the cover of Vogue and is well on her way to consolidating a veritable empire, understands that customer expectations shape branding decisions.
If you are a brand or if you work with them, and you find yourself on the cusp of a big branding decision, don’t leave out the customers. Backlash and scandal can undo what may seem like a solid business decision at the time.
What do you think? Did Rihanna make the right decision? Let us know in the comments or send us a tweet.
