MUSIC MARKETING VIA SOCIAL MEDIA

09Feb10

Last night’s #blogchat (Twitter convo) was amazing. The chat, which was created by Mack Collier, was hosted by Katie Morse, PR professional and former DJ. It focused on how musicians can use blogs (and other social media tools) to connect with fans. Tears for Fears co-founder Curt Smith even joined the discussion!

Although the transcript is worth reading to get a complete feel for the discussion, here’s a summary of the chat’s highest points:

• @klandwehr: As a fan it is important that it is actually the musician who is using social media and not his/her publicist.
• @kikilitalien: If an artist has 100,000 followers and is only following 38, it turns me off… limiting exposure to other ideas.
• @krisis: I really don’t see relevance in an artist’s follow ratio. That starts to intrude on the artist as a person. @ replies are more important.
• @HubertGAM: One Twitter phenomenon that I hate that I see from many artist-types is the RTing of tweets about themselves.
• @jennko: Perhaps musicians use SM a broadcasting tool vs. 2 way comm b/c they wanna hold on to elevated status.
• @kevinlyons: A big weakness of a lot of artists on SM is they have no goal, lots of interaction but not direction.
• @alexiaharris: Artists who interact with fans show them that they’re valued. Don’t ignore them.
• @KevinLyons: With follow ratio: Bigger question is what is an artist’s objectives & goals of SM. Connect? Market? Build community?
• @MackCollier Selling stuff is always the goal, artists, like companies need to figure out how SM leads to that. It happens, but not overnight.
•  @misskatiemo General consensus = connecting with fans should be for more than just selling records immediately.
• @ThadWillNotStop Here’s is the Wale GQ story: http://bit.ly/c63vHi – Nice story of how talent with no budget can still mean success.
• @MackCollier What about artists using SM to connect with fans from the towns where they will be performing at next?
• @krisis: For a singer to take an hour, tweet @ people in a city they’re visiting? Major prospect management.
• @HubertGAM: There are so many tools available to artists to make geo-centric engagement possible. To not use them is criminal.
• @MVMNT_Mike: Off the wall personality + SM = extension of your brand.
• @alexiaharris: Stepping out of the “artist” persona reminds us that artists/celebs are people just like us. It’s refreshing.
• @misskatiemo: Blogs can be used as a central social hub. Encourage participation on outposts like FB/Twitter – blog is “home.”
• @krisis: I do think the blog is a key eventual home base. Its exhausting to simply live in the stream of Twitter.
• @curtsmith: I use social media to connect with current and new fans. It’s great that long time fans can now go straight to the source and welcome new friends.
• @Wzzy: I caution @curtsmith (& other artists) away from geolocation apps/services (e.g. foursquare) for security reasons.

Feel free to join the #blogchat discussion on Sunday nights at 8p CST.

Filed under: celebrity status, entertainment PR, music, social media   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: #blogchat, blogging, Curt Smith, Facebook, Katie Morse, Mack Collier, marketing, music, social media, Tears for Fears, Twitter, Wale

THE RESURRECTION OF CUSTOMER SERVICE

08Feb10

On Saturday, I dug my car out of a mountain of snow to run a few errands. While on our way to Bed, Bath and Beyond, my boyfriend and I stopped by Chick-Fil-A for a bite to eat.

While Gerald wasn’t paying attention, I chugged the majority of his lemonade. After an hour of hearing him complain, we went back to the restaurant to order another drink.

If you’ve been to Chick-Fil-A, you’d know the restaurant prides itself on superior service and positive attitudes. Saturday was no exception.

When we pulled around to pay for the lemonade, the cashier said, “It’s on me guys. Have a great night.”

After staring at him for an awkward 30 seconds, I said “thank you” and drove away.

I was floored. Some of you may think it’s not a big deal since the drink was only $1.65. But this employee totally changed my opinion on fast food restaurants and people in general. Despite my latest run-ins with thieves and liars (re: my purse being stolen at work), I realized that not all people are cold and heartless.

I even called Chick-Fil-A’s headquarters to share my wonderful experience.

So, here’s my plug: If you’re wanting to grab breakfast, lunch or dinner but don’t have time to sit down and eat, stop by Chick-Fil-A. You’ll be impressed by the fresh waffle fries, homemade lemonade and quality service.

Have you had a great customer service experience at a restaurant, store or bank? How did you react? Is customer service dead?

Filed under: Uncategorized   |  1 Comment
Tags: Chick-Fil-A, customer service, Eat. Mor. Chikin., resurrection

VANITY FAIR IGNORES DIVERSITY

04Feb10

What’s wrong with this picture?

This is what I see: Nine beautiful women grace the magazine cover. They’re up-and-coming, talented actresses. But they all look the same; with the exception of their blonde, red and brunette colored tresses. Not one is African-American, Asian or Hispanic.

What about Zoe Saldana, Gabourey Sidibe, Freida Pinto or Gianna Jun? Do they not deserve the same credit? Are they not as talented?

VF contributing editor Evgenia Peretz describes the nine actresses by using words like, “Cupid’s-bow lips,” “downy-soft cheeks,” “button nose[s],” “Ivory-soap-girl features” and “patrician looks.” This makes me think that unless you have these features, you’re not worth talking about.

Some people argue that when magazine covers feature a non-white subject, sales aren’t as strong. But in this case, the Young Hollywood issue doesn’t even mention anyone with a minority background. Don’t get me wrong — Amanda Seyfried, Carey Mulligan and Evan Rachel Wood are excelling the movie industry but they aren’t the only ones to do so. What message is this sending to young girls who aspire to be an actress but don’t look like Rebecca Hall, Emma Stone or Kristen Stewart?

Shine’s Joanna Douglass said it best:

Vanity Fair may have been looking for the most promising batch of talent for their issue, but they should have been looking for a diverse group of women as well.

During a conversation with a friend, she reminded me that this is the same magazine whose Tiger Woods cover left people enraged. Shock value, much?

You have to admit — Tiger looks like he’s pumping iron in a prison yard, much different from the happy, polo-wearing prince we usually see. Once word got out that Tiger cheated on his wife and with numerous mistresses, his public image was ruined. Let’s be real: there were people who were waiting for Tiger to mess up. He was almost too perfect. He came into a game that was rarely touched by other races and dominated. People hated that.

Are people taking this too far? Did Vanity Fair get it wrong? Or did they only give its  audience what they wanted?

Filed under: celebrity status, controversy   |  1 Comment
Tags: Amanda Seyfried, Carey Mulligan, diversity, Emma Stone, Evan Rachel Wood, Evgenia Peretz, Freida Pinto, Gabourey Sidibe, Gianna Jun, Joanna Douglass, Kristen Stewart, Rebecca Hall, Shine, Tiger Woods, Vanity Fair, Young Hollywood, Zoe Saldana

WHAT’S BEEF?

02Feb10

January was a busy month for the entertainment industry. It seemed like there was never a dull moment. But how could there be when Lady Gaga and Kanye West, two of the biggest (and controversial) names in the music world, stayed in the news?

Polaroid goes goo-goo over Gaga

Lady Gaga recently signed a multi-year deal with Polaroid to become a creative director and inventor of specialty projects. The partnership was announced at the 2010 Consumer Electronic Show. As expected, Gaga stole the show – even if was her wild, hat-hair that first caught the attention of attendees.

The real question is: What’s the difference between Lady Gaga and Polaroid and other celebrity endorsements, like Gwen Stefani’s relationship with HP or Michael Jordan’s quest for all men to wear Hanes underwear?

Initially, I thought Polariod was using Gaga to generate publicity by bringing life to a dying brand. The company went bankrupt in 2001. It didn’t want a few bad decisions to be the end of its reign. To stay relevant, Polaroid needed to connect with younger fans. Gaga will act as a bridge to reach an audience Polaroid has yet to develop a relationship with… good move, huh?

Gaga represents creativity, youth, passion and excitement, which are characteristics Polaroid’s products must have if they went to once again become a contender in the digital camera market. But when developing the new products, it will be wise for Polaroid to keep seamlessly blend its historical camera design with trends and cool features that are important to the new digital era and correlate to Gaga’s musical style.

New products by Polaroid and Lady Gaga will be released later this year.

PETA’s beef with Kanye West

Kanye West is a walking crisis management case. No matter what he does or says, it drips with controversy. Although he’s been in the music game for a while, there weren’t many people who knew who he was until he dropped Through the Wire. We were introduced to Kanye, the lovable and humbled poet. We loved his lyrical ability and dope beats. We admired his dedication and persistence. He always wanted to be a rapper but couldn’t seem to do more than produce hot songs for other artists. This song permitted him to do just that. His next single, All Falls Down, had us begging for more. His socially conscious lyrics were refreshing. He reminded me of a younger, hipper Common.

But, the lovely opinions wouldn’t last long. Here’s a few of his worst moments:

• 2005 – On a world-televised program, Kanye told the nation “[Former President George W.] Bush hated Black people” when he failed to quickly respond to the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina.
• 2006 - During the MTV Europe Music Awards, he went on stage after Touch the Sky failed to win the “Best Video” award and argued with the winners that he should have won instead.
• 2009 – He interrupted Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, by rushing the stage, taking the microphone and told the crowd that Beyonce had the better video. Ouch.

Enter 2010. After the Taylor Swift/”I’mma let you finish” fiasco, Kanye declared that he would be taking a timeout to think about his actions. He did. Until now. Kanye was seen in Paris at the Menswear Fashion Week donned in full-length furs, as was is girlfriend, Amber Rose.

The next day, his clothing choices were the topic of discussion for blogs and entertainment news sites. People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) was outraged. PETA responded by posting an excerpt from one of Kanye’s song. Pretty tactical, huh?

The prettiest people do the ugliest things

For the road to riches and diamond rings…

Buy a lot of clothes when we don’t really need em

Things we buy to cover up what’s inside. – Kanye West, All Falls Down

Kanye responded via his blog to shut up the naysayers.

“Very few human beings are strong enough to take constant hate. If we don’t do what you feel is the shit, you beat us up verbally and mentally… I can hear you screaming ‘color inside the lines.’ Well fuck your coloring book!”

It’ll be interesting to see how the public embraces Kanye when he return from his musical hiatus. Has he gone too far or will we have to accept his tirades if we want a piece of his lyrical genius?

Filed under: celebrity status, social media   |  2 Comments
Tags: Kanye West, social media, Polaroid, Lady Gaga, Gwen Stefani, Grammy 2010, HP, PETA, fur, beef, Michael Jordan, Hanes, All Falls Down, Through the Wire, coloring book

TEEN PREGNANCY: WHOSE FAULT IS IT?

28Jan10

Last week, Lifetime debuted The Pregnancy Pact, a movie based on a real-life story about a group of Gloucester (Massachusettes) high school students who agreed to get pregnant at the same time.

Huh?

To sum it up, the girls got pregnant so they’d have someone to love them unconditionally. Not to mention they all could be ”mommy friends” and have play dates. They ignored reality. Being a mother is not an easy job nor is it only about money. You could have money coming out of your ass and not be a good mother. It takes tons of time, energy and patience to raise children. And while a teen must grow up quickly to be a parent, there are some adults who aren’t responsible enough to be a mother or father.

So, whose fault is it? I came up with four potential causes:

• Television – Movies like Juno and Knocked Up glorify young, single mothers. Not only does it seem fun, if you grew tired of being a parent, you could always give your kid up for adoption, right?
• Schools – Are high schools embracing teenage pregnancy by offering free on-site daycare centers? Or should they stick with preventative measures, like passing out condoms and birth control pills?
• Parents - The teens’ mothers and fathers ignored their child’s  behavior. They didn’t accept the fact that their child was having sex, especially without protection.
• The teenage mothers - They manipulated each other and tricked their boyfriends. They succumbed to peer pressure and didn’t think twice about a choice they’d have to live with for the rest of their lives. When some found out they were withchild, they’d rejoice, give high fives and immediately start planning the baby shower. Could they be any more naïve?

Check out this PSA created by a group in Milwaukee in attempt to decrease the number of teenage pregnancies in the city. It’s a big difference compared to how life was depicted in the Pregnancy Pact.

The PSA puts all teenage mothers into one group — Your child’s father won’t be there to help you because he’ll be in jail. You’ll have to raise your child alone, causing you to go into manic depression. Your son will grow up to be a bully and criminal.

Do you think the ad is an effective way to curb teen pregnancy? What are your thoughts on the Pregnancy Pact? Who’s to blame for the increase in teen pregnancy?

Related post: Scared Straight from The Young Mommy Life

Filed under: sex, sex education, teenage pregnancy   |  2 Comments
Tags: Gloucester High School, Juno, Knocked Up, Lifetime, Milwaukee, Pregnancy Pact, PSA, teen pregnancy

A SURVIVOR’S NIGHTMARE

19Jan10

I found this story on Necole Bitchie’s blog. Necole’s friend, Martine, is a school teacher in Haiti. She survived the earthquake and is using Twitter to give updates (including graphic pictures) on how she and other Haitians are dealing with the aftermath. She recently found out that three of her students are alive but she’s waiting to hear the status of the remaining 65 students.

Below are a few of her updates:

January 14, 2010
As everyone knows, fortunately I’m okay. My aunt and I were able to run outside in the middle of the street during the quake. Fortunately my little cousin was 3 cars ahead of 7 or 8 cars that had rocks collapse on top of them—still no word if those people survived. (pray for them). Communication is starting now in Haiti—and it seems we’ve lost a lot people.

But there are still hundreds buried underneath the rubble and rushed to the nearest hospital (well not really rushed, there’s no transportation–ppl are walking and traveling far distances, I don’t know how they are making it). The hospitals are unsanitary with bloody needles on the ground, re-used knives and scissors–it’s just a horrible sight.

As I watched and helped doctors sew limbs back together–the patients had VERY VERY little anesthesia they could feel everything and it was obvious they were excruciating pain.

Where Martine's school stood before the earthquake

January 15, 2010

I have a list that takes up over a page of things that the hospital is out of (or what they are in the process of running out of).. I’m just asking if any of you have a friend or family that owns a clinic or anything like that where it’d be really simple to send medical supplies to this hospital. (like within the next few days).

I know life goes on of course and everyone is moving on and living their lives in the US–just to let you know this isn’t the last email you’ll receive from me–

First off I have very limited time on the computer so im going to make this quick—

I met with the director of the hospital today, and as you know many americans came today to help, but they are not making it to the hospital that im working at due to the roads and the location of the hospital–we are hoping they will come in today. But anyway–even when they do come we have anther problem–we lack in medical supplies.

Martine's new home

January 17, 2010

Went down to PAP (Port-au-Prince) yesterday–where are these 10,000 US Soldiers that r supposed 2 b here? I didn’t see one, this country is too small to miss them.

After helping pull kids from underground a friend asked where the guys were from, they had just left the prison. Well. Thanks for the help but scary to know that many many prisoners are among us.

Listening to Haitian music.. thought this would make me happy but it’s doing the complete opposite. Don’t know what to do w/ myself. Funeral music in the streets. They found where to bury someone.. man.. breaks my heart. Wish I could record the live band.

To read more, visit Necole Bitchie.com: Update From Haiti… or follow Martine on Twitter.

 

Images via Martine’s Twitter page.

Filed under: crisis communication, death   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: 2010, earthquake, Haiti, Haitian, Port-au-Prince, survivors

THE HAITI EFFECT: WHAT WOULD MLK DO?

15Jan10

It’s hard to describe what I’m feeling right now but I’ll try.

Distraught. Extremely worried. Distressed.

On Tuesday evening, Haiti was hit by an earthquake with a 7.0 magnitude. The ground rattled. Hard. Buildings collapsed, causing Port-au-Prince to be flattened. No more tall buildings. Everything is one level.

Officials said deaths could top 50,000. Seeing photos of dead children lining the streets are chilling. Toddlers huddled together as if they were trying to protect each other from the destruction… they didn’t survive. Outside hospitals are droves of people in need of treatment; some died while waiting to be seen. Doctors and nurses have been working non-stop to help as many people as they can, but are running out of medicine and supplies. Parents weeping as they cradle decease children in their arms. They can’t let go — the mental anguish is too much to bear; the physical pain keeps them from moving. Survivors are forced to sleep outside in parks, under sheets, in fear that if they return to their homes, they’ll become casualties to the aftershocks.

Can you imagine not having a place to call home? Seeing the only world you know crumble before your eyes? Witnessing your family being crushed to death as they try to run for safety?

As you go to sleep at night, there are men, women and children who are forced to sleep in the streets because their homes were taken from them – an act of nature. No food, no clean clothes, no comfy pillows.

Think about it.

Update: Today is Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday. It’s a national holiday; people are encouraged to spend the day by honoring a man who fought for equality and peace. If you have the day off, think about why. How can you help keep King’s dream alive? He wanted everyone to understand that we are all brothers and sisters. He wanted us to look past skin color and see people for who they are by looking into their hearts. Keep this in mind as you flip through today’s newspaper or television channels and see the Haiti natives struggling to move on without their children, parents and siblings. They need us.

Please, do what you can to help.

-  Text Yele. Wyclef Jean is urging donors to text ‘Yele’ to 501501 and make a $5 contribution to the relief effort over cell phone.  Click here to get more information via Wyclef’s Twitter page.

- UNICEF. Go online to unicefusa.org/haitiquake or call (800) 4UNICEF.

- Red Cross. Text HAITI to 90999 to donate $10 to the American Red Cross or go online to redcross.org and click donate, or call (800) REDCROSS.

Images via cnn.com

Filed under: children's safety, death, social media   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: aid, death, earthquake 2010, emergency, Haiti, Martin Juther King Jr., MLK, Port-au-Prince

INTRODUCING #entprchat

12Jan10

I’m approaching my one-year Twitter anniversary. I feel like I should be making a champagne toast.

I’ve connected with amazing PR professionals and other people who have similar interests. The social network has become a hobby and learning tool. By interacting with different thought leaders, I’ve learned a lot about myself and the industry I’ve put my life and soul into for the past four years.

Much of my learning came from participating in different Twitter chats, such as #journchat, #u30pro and #blogchat, which appeal mostly to public relations and communication professionals, journalists and bloggers.

Although there are more than 90 Twitter chats (click here for an explanation of Twitter chats written by #u30pro moderator David Spinks), there was one missing; one that satisfied my thirst for entertainment and love of fashion. Although I’m more of a PR generalist, these specialized fields intrigue me.

I came up with the idea to create #entprchat. It’s a Twitter conversation that will be held every Tuesday, from 8-9 p.m. EST. Before launching, I wanted to link up with someone whose interests complimented my goals. I’ve been following Kion Sanders, PRSSA national officer and male fashion enthusiast. I reached out to Kion, shared my ideas and asked him to join me in moderating the chat. He happily agreed. This shows the power of social media. I’ve never met Kion in person, but by interacting with him using other communication mediums, I feel like I’ve known him for years.

Our goal is to will connect lovers of fashion and entertainment public relations to discuss current events, industry trends and the future of the profession. It’s the perfect place for professionals who want to connect with each other and students who aspire to work in the industry. This chat is not only for PR professionals. We want to reach out to fashion designers, entertainment managers and anyone else who is interested in these fields.

The chat will run like this:

• The moderators (Kion and I) will ask participants questions from the official chat account (@entprchat, and retweeted by @alexiaharris and @kionsanders).
• The questions will be answered by the participants by including the question number (i.e. Q1) and the answer. Participants are encouraged to interact with each other.
• Each answer or question must include the chat hashtag #entprchat at the end of each tweet in order for it to be seen by participants and included in the discussion.
• Participants will be able to send questions to the moderators via @ or DM for discussion.
• Questions will range on a variety of topics within the fashion and entertainment fields. Answers will vary among participants and include a mix or opinions and expert responses.

Kion and I are excited to get started on our venture. We hope you join the conversation. It’s guaranteed to be smart fun.

For more coverage on the chat’s début and other Twitter chats, click here and here.

Filed under: Uncategorized   |  1 Comment
Tags: #blogchat, #entprchat, #journchat, #u30pro, Alexia Harris, entertainment and fashion chat, Kion Sanders, PR, public relations, Twitter

DRUNK DRIVING IS NO JOKE

04Jan10

On New Year’s Eve, rapper and actor Bow Wow announced on Twitter that he drove while intoxicated (View original story on TMZ’s Website.)

He tweeted:

“Face numb im whippin the lambo. Tispy as f*k. Just left @livmiami.”

Im f**ked up!!! Ohhhh damn. Y i drive the lambo. Chris might have to drive after next spot.”

He later apologized, admitting that it wasn’t the smartest thing to do. Duh!

He’s lucky to be alive. Other drivers who drove along the same roads are lucky to be alive.

Peep the stats:

• One person is killed every half-hour due to drunk driving
• Each year approximately 16,000 are killed in alcohol related crashes
• Alcohol is a factor in almost half of all traffic fatalities
• Every other minute a person is seriously injured in an alcohol related crash (via dui.lifetips.com)

Drunk driving is not funny. Life is not a game. You only have one and it’s not promised to you. Bow Wow took his life for granted.

He is a role model. Obviously he doesn’t take this seriously. Unfortunately, regardless how bad a celebrity’s behavior is, some people may still mimic his actions — maybe because they think it’s cool or won’t be negatively affected by it. The bottom line is that it’s not cool. It’s dangerous.

Shame on you, Bow Wow, for not valuing your life or the lives you put in danger. And more shame for disregarding the consequences of drinking and driving.

Filed under: apologizing, celebrity status, children's safety, entertainment PR   |  4 Comments
Tags: Bow Wow, drinking and driving, driving under the influence, driving while intoxicated, DUI, DWI, New Year's

A YEAR IN REVIEW: HOW YOUNG CELEBS FARED IN 2009

01Jan10

Last year (it’s funny writing that when “last year” was only yesterday) was a big one for the entertainment industry. There were young celebrities who found themselves dancing with the law, while others had one of the biggest years in their career (thus far).

I asked friends on Facebook and Twitter to nominate young entertainers who they’ll like to see analyzed. The top three suggested were Chris Brown, Taylor Swift and Robert Pattinson (star of movies Twilight and New Moon).

Well, here we go…

1. Chris Brown

Chris was the center of attention in 2009. Unfortunately for him, this wasn’t good publicity. In February 2009, the singer and actor got into a physical altercation with his (now ex) girlfriend, singer Rihanna. Although Chris has yet to give his version of what happened that night, in an interview with Diane Sawyer, Rihanna explained that Chris beat her after a verbal argument about Chris’ cheating. The picture of Rihanna’s bruised face supports her claim.

When news of the fight spread, Chris quickly lost endorsements and radio stations refused to play his music. He avoided jail time by entering a plea that subjected him to probation for the next five years and six months of community service. Although he did numerous apologies and interviews, his sincerity wasn’t detected among most audiences. Last month Chris released a new album, Graffiti, a few weeks after Rihanna released her third album, Rated R. Even though the infamous fight happened ten months prior, it still had an effect on how Chris was perceived by the public. Some conveniently pitted the two stars’ albums against each other (although their target audiences differ) and there were some stores that “blackballed” Chris’ album.

Chris is now forced to rebuild his extremely tainted image. He went from being a loveable artist, to the guy who beat up his defenseless girlfriend. As I explained in a previous post, if Chris wants to get back to where he was in his career before the fight, he must surround himself with a different PR team. Until then, his past will continue to haunt his career.

2. Taylor Swift

In September, Taylor, a 19-year-old country singer, just accepted her MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video (the first VMA to be given to a country music act) when rapper Kanye West stormed the stage, took the microphone and protested in support of Beyonce (who was also a nominee):

“Yo, Taylor, I’mma let you finish… I’m sorry, but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time.”

Kanye shrugged, walked off the stage and was booed by the show attendees. Before the show started, he was seen drinking a bottle of Hennessy on the red carpet. Some suggested that he was drunk, while others, including rappers Wale and Jay-Z said Kanye only said what most people were thinking.

A few days later, an emotional Kanye went on the Jay Leno show an apologized for being an asshole and ruining Taylor’s moment. He looked as though he was fighting tears when he told the talk show host that he never grieved after his mother’s death and would be taking time off from his career. As a surprise, Kanye has kept his word, practically disappeared from the music scene. (Sidenote: Where are you Yeezy? Even though you can be a jerk at times, we miss your musical talent. Come back!)

Kanye’s rant seemed to take away from his popularity among many audiences, while propelling Taylor to the front of her competition. Since then, the young singer has been voted entertainer of the year by the Associated Press, hosted “Saturday Night Live” and performed at the Grammys. She’s also won album of the year from the Country Music Awards and the Country Music Association Awards, and five American Music Awards, including artist of the year.

Although Kanye caused a havoc for his PR and management teams, Taylor’s team was able to sit back and enjoy the wonderful repercussions of Kanye’s blunt (and untimely) honesty.

3. Robert Pattinson

If you look in a teenage girl’s bedroom, there’s a 90 percent chance you’ll see Robert’s face plastered over her walls. Robert is best known for his role as Edward Cullen in the hit movies Twilight and most recently, New Moon.

The Twilight book series reminds me of Harry Potter. The concepts differ but the successes are substantial.

The film (Twilight) was adapted from the best-selling book series about an epic love story between a vampire and a normal teenage girl and became an overnight success. According to the Wall Street Journal, the film grossed more than $382 million world-wide on a shoestring budget of $37 million. How’s that for ROI?

The true appeal of Twilight lies in Robert’s on-screen character. His bedroom hair and come-hither look are entrancing. Robert plays a vampire who fights his own biological fate to fall in love with Bella Swan, a human. Sweet, huh? That plot alone is enough to make you swoon over Robert Edward.

Although Twilight is a success in its own right, it isn’t crushing Harry Potter just yet.

J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books have sold more than 400 million copies world-wide, compared with 53 million for Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series. In addition, the five Harry Potter films have grossed almost $4.5 billion in world-wide box-office revenue, making the franchise one of the biggest in history. (Sidenote: J.K. Rowling has one hell of a resume.)

While Twilight played puppet with viewers’ heart-strings, Harry Potter helped its audience use their imagination again (kids weren’t the only ones standing in line for hours to buy movie tickets). But then again, why believe in magic when you can believe in love?

Filed under: celebrity status, entertainment PR   |  2 Comments
Tags: 2009 VMAs, Chris Brown, Edward Cullen, entertainment PR, Generation Y, Graffiti, Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling, Kanye West, MTV, New Moon, Rated R, Rihanna, Robert Pattinson, Stephenie Meyer, taylor Swift, Twilight, young celebrities