Nicki Minaj Case

When Nicki Minaj first entered the hip hop music industry in 2010, she brought with her a very colorful, bright, Barbie/anime style and branded her image through her many personalitis, which we see in her music, fashion sense, her general image, etc. One day her style is bold, electric, edgy and bursting with bright colors, and one day it's more classic, sophisticated and chic, yet sexy at the same time. Regardless of what types of personalities her style consists of, it takes a lot of work, dedication, and effort to manage that image and keep it real to her true personality. Nicki's style constantly changes, but one thing always remains the same: her wig. No matter what the outfit is, Nicki is always wearing her wig. Depending on the style and colors incorporated in her outfit, she plays with the wig and adds color to it, yet she always keeps the style of the wig the same. Her wig is her signature brand identity and she keeps it consistent throughout all of her looks. Nicki's bold and bright personality attracted many different artists who wished to collaborate with her and in 2010, at the start of her career, Nicki was already featured in 20 tracks with well known and popular artists in the music industry. Her collaboration with so many artists gave her the exposure she needed to market herself to her audience and create more co-marketing opportunities, build partnerships and increase her credibility. Nicki also keeps up with her social network fan base by constantly keeping them posted on what's new and replying back to tweets and comments, as well as referring to her fans as "Barbies." Through creating this bond and relationship with her fan base she benefits her brand by engaging and expanding her reach to a wide customer base; In other words, she's benefiting by investing in her fans. Although Nicki minaj has branded herself quite well, for her it's not all about the products she tries to sell to her fans, but it's the message and experiences she tries to communicate through these products. Nicki Minaj is fun, fearless, and independent and she communicates this to her fans through her music, style, endorsements with companies such as MAC Cosmetics, appearances on "Saturday Night Live," etc. By teaming up with MAC Cosmetics, shes influencing her fans through the idea that they can apply the same style of makeup that's she advertises and look like her, and her appearance on "Saturday Night Live" shows her fans her comedic and spontaneous side. This kind of exposure is what her strong brand and indentity and image management is all about; She has built an empire around her career and her fans are hooked.