Is Kim Kardashian’s star power fading, even as her multibillion-dollar brand Skims continues to grow?
SCMP Magazine
“The Kardashians are just not where the energy is at the moment,” says author and PR expert Mark Borkowski. “There are just too many young gunslingers in town and people want the new. It is the ravenous nature of the beast, and particularly when we are talking about under-30s – a group who might be interested in the Jenner sisters but won’t care much about the older three unless they do something really outrageous.”
Kim – ever the savvy brand expert – may well be right to let the show that made her name trot off into the sunset. “If the audience has had enough of them then the Kardashians probably need to refresh their content, as fashion moves on and trends change and if you keep on doing the exact same thing you always have you will inevitably become less relevant,” says Borkowski.
“I think every celebrity powerhouse has its moment that comes and fades,” says Borkowski. “But I wouldn’t be writing off the Kardashians just yet – I remembered being asked to comment on the death of the Beckham brand about a decade ago, but history has proved that is very much not the case. Much like the Beckhams, what the Kardashian-Jenners need to focus on is the younger members of the family, who have got the power to keep people’s attention in a way that older celebrities don’t.”
“They know what they are doing, as this is the number one way to rejuvenate the brand,” says Borkowski. “If you want people to notice you, have a juicy love life that looks glamorous and stirs up feelings of jealousy and sometimes a bit of outrage, all of which keep eyeballs on you.”
“You get so rich that you get lazy and a lot of people are now a lot hungrier than she is,” agrees Borkowski. “Don’t forget the amount of attention Kim got when she was in that relationship with Kanye – and returning to the spotlight means getting back on the outrage machine and everything that entails. If I were Kim, I’d be relieved life had quietened down a bit.”