Celebs Consumer Insights

Trend - Celebrities—whether they be chefs, singers, and even investors—are recognizing the immense popularity of hard seltzers as refreshing low-alcohol beverages with younger consumers. As a result, many are working with brands to launch their own special version.

Insight - The purchasing decisions of Millennial consumers are strongly influenced by the social media platforms they favor. As many become increasingly trusting of the celebrities and influencers they follow, individuals begin focusing on these personalities' preferences—from lifestyle to food and beverage. This information is later used as guidelines and inspiration for consumer's own purchasing decisions when they are experiencing uncertainty about the items they want to buy.

Trend - In order to connect with their fan base, celebrities are partnering up with brands and curating specialized boxes and experiences that are useful to individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic—from fitness programs to grooming or snack boxes.

Insight - Consumers are doing their best to help flatten the curve of the COVID-19 pandemic by staying at home and maintaining social distancing. For many, shopping online is the better or the only option—whether it's for essentials or something necessary for a daily routine. Individuals often find it difficult to gauge a product virtually, void of the in-store shopping experience support, and as a result, are turning to the advice of people whose opinion they trust.

Implications - In recent years, comedians have played a huge role in the public sphere, maintaining their roles in entertainment while increasingly penetrating fields less-related to their primary roles, like politics. The increased responsibility placed in the hands of these pop cultural icons has resulted in their growing credibility from a consumer perspective, a shift that brands are seeking to take advantage of. Companies are employing the subversive ways in which comedians approach any subject, which can translate across industries and manifest in many different ways. Allowing comedians to represent companies' products serves to create more authentic, credible connections between brands and their consumers.

Implications - As the obsession with tour merchandise continues, artists are creating extensive pop-ups and even partnering with traditional retailers in order to amp up distribution. In expanding the experience to include those not attending a particular event, such artists are providing fans with a means to communicate membership to a particular group in a meaningful, divergent way.

Implications - An efficient means of engaging the pop culturally connected consumer, brands are turning to celebrities to create experience-focused offerings conceptualized by the stars themselves. Observed in sectors that range from mobile applications to art auctions, this progression speaks to a consumer desire to interact with authentic content curated by a perceived expert. This can also be seen as representational of the illusion of closeness and familiarity created by celebrity social media presences.

Implications - A social influencer is widely recognized as someone who has achieved fame by sharing original content on established social networks. As these self-created online personalities continue to expand their range, they are going above and beyond simply partnering with brands. In fact, they are going as far as developing or investing in social platforms of their own, encouraging others to create and share their own content in the process. Projects backed by social influencers will have both authenticity and legitimacy, giving them a higher chance of breaking through the noise.

Implications - Many bloggers, vloggers and social influencers have achieved recognition by tackling themes of self-improvement in their content, a subject that remains important even as they expand their scope. The brands and media outlets that are partnering with these creators understand the need for safe spaces to facilitate the exchange of advice, ideas and tips. The theme of personal betterment further reinforces the idea that young people favor more approachable role models.

Implications - Heightening traditional subscription services, brands are turning to expert curation to infuse the experience with a sense of prestige. Offering products and services that are hand-picked by celebrities and experts in the field, brands are utilizing pop culture fandom to not only create buzz, but also to increase customization.

Implications - Today's information age has fostered a culture of over-sharing, and those who share best are able to circumvent traditional avenues to fame. Millennial entrepreneurs are turning to platforms like YouTube and Tumblr to boost their personal brand, as well as cultivate opportunities and partnerships with bigger names. Rather than a flash-in-the-pan fad, this shift signals the possibility of long-term, mutually beneficial relationships between online personalities and top-tier brands.

Implications - Pop culture-inspired mobile games are a unique symbol of the evolving face of the gaming world. Symbolic of the consumer's inherent fascination with meme culture and the nature of fame, these mobile games provide a new archetype for the average gamer, which includes a more diverse range of people than ever before.