Beyoncé’s Divanomics: How Powerful is Her Brand?

She’s everywhere. On your TV screen. On the billboard looming over the side of the highway as you drive your 4-year-old to preschool. She’s smiling brightly from the magazine rack as you pay for your weekly groceries. She’s in the latest flick you went to see with your girlfriend.

Forget being a singer. Beyoncé is a brand.

“You must not know ‘bout me …”

Celebrity endorsements aren’t new, in fact, nowadays they are de rigueur. But, Beyoncé has taken the concept to the stratosphere. There’s her contract with L’Oreal, her deal with Nintendo and her Dish Network endorsements. She also promotes Crystal Geyser, General Mills, Giorgio Armani and Samantha Thavasa handbags, among others. That’s a lot of name-dropping, which translates into a nice pile of money. This year, she ranked No. 4 on Forbes’ 2009 Celebrity 100 list, raking in a cool $87 million and beating out the likes of Jennifer Aniston, Will Smith and Brad Pitt.

“The key to maintaining a successful personal brand is to have some sort of impact on a market to the point where branding an artist makes sense for a company product,” says Diego Vargas, digital marketing and urban grassroots manager for the New York-based marketing firm, Cornerstone. Vargas, who has worked on a slew of projects — including Reebok’s Remixed campaign, says that Beyoncé’s branding power is clear.

“Every situation is different,” he continues, “But staying true to your music, having that marketability, capitalizing on your talent, connecting with fans on multiple levels, and having a good management team behind you, will dramatically improve your chances of being a branding power within the industry.”

However, Bey’s staying power extends beyond her ability to smile and sell a bottle of overpriced shampoo. Like her or not, there’s something about her that young girls and grown women alike have been flocking to for the decade that she’s been in the limelight. While some critics argue that she’s overexposed and they’re tired of seeing her everywhere, the corporations keep on calling and the albums keep on selling (she’s sold over 75 million albums throughout her career). What’s more, the people continue to scream for more. Just attend one of her sold-out concerts.

So what exactly is it about the Houston-bred singer that has people across the world in such a frenzy? Angela Yee, popular host of Sirius Satellite’s “The Morning After” and “Lip Service” thinks part of her appeal is that she made it OK for “normal” women to be accepted. In other words, Bey prompted the decline of the Kate Moss-like chicks who were skinny enough to hoola-hoop through a Cheerio. “Beyoncé made it alright for girls to be ‘thick,’ ” Yee surmises.

A little jelly in the trunk suddenly went from being forbidden to sexy. And in videos like “Crazy in Love,” “Bootylicious” and “Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)” she showed every inch of her, er, self-esteem.

In fact, some cultural critics think that the pop starlet has gone too far in embracing her curves at times. Remember the risqué performance at the 2005 BET Awards where her former group, Destiny’s Child gave Terrence Howard, Magic Johnson and Nelly what can only be described as a lap dance? Then there are the videos where she’s scantily clad, including her hit, “Diva” off her latest hit album, I Am … Sasha Fierce and even her most recent performance at the 2009 BET Awards. At the show, she performed “Ave Maria,” a Catholic prayer, wearing a wedding veil and an outfit that looked like lingerie.

Nevertheless, even some of her harshest critics readily admit to enjoying her music. And that, at its core, has been the winning ticket for Beyoncé. She makes hits.

“Working with Beyoncé is crazy,” says BlackElvis, who produced her hit single, “Ego.” “She literally went in, learned the song and laid it perfectly in about an hour. She’s a real professional.”

“It was great working with [Destiny’s Child], they were really quick in the studio,” says Kandi Burruss, who wrote for the group on their Writing’s On the Wall album. “Beyoncé  is a hard worker. She’s dedicated to perfecting her craft. I had no idea she was going to where she is today, but I knew she was going to be successful.”

And despite her sexy performances and outfits, by — by and large — she’s gone out of her way to keep her image squeaky clean, making her brand that much stronger.

“She never says anything provocative in her interviews,” says Yee, who has made a living off of getting artists to engage (sometimes unwittingly) in provocative talk, but she admits she has had no such luck with Bey.

For every sexually suggestive song she makes, like “Ego” where the mega-star not so subtly croons that her man’s “ego” is “too big, too much” and “won’t fit,” there’s an ultra sweet song like “Halo” or “If I Were a Boy” to balance it out. Call it the power of branding. Beyoncé’s team of handlers, which is overseen by the top dog, her father, Mathew Knowles, understands how to keep the media at bay, while still catering to them for attention.

“[Working with Mathew Knowles] is like working with the wind, you can’t see him but you know he’s there,” gospel artist Brian Courtney Wilson, who is signed to Knowles’ World Music imprint, says  of the executive. “The way he’s handled his daughters’ careers and the whole Destiny’s Child franchise is inspiring.”

With such a disciplined army of people around her (it’s been rumored that until recently she didn’t even own a cell phone), it’s hard to go astray.

“When you are that successful with your music for so long and have a smart management team behind you, branding power and consistency is a direct result of that,” Vargas says.

“If you like it then
you shoulda put a ring on it …”

Beyoncé has always been a trendsetter. But in 2002, when she became part of a power couple alongside her business mogul husband, Jay-Z, her brand was enhanced. And in 2008, when she released the lead single from I Am… Sasha Fierce, “Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)” she elevated her influence to a new level.

With the plight of the habitual baby mama being celebrated more than ever before, couples living together out of wedlock at an all-time high and the “m” word (that’s marriage, folks) becoming one that’s rarely spoken, her demand for men to “put a ring on it” was refreshing to say the least.

While Bey and Jay-Z have engaged in some Mission Impossible type tactics as far as dodging the media and keeping bloggers out of their business, the impact of their marriage has nevertheless, been extremely significant. Kind of like when Jay declared that he was only wearing button-downs and the entire hip-hop generation seemed to follow suit, forsaking the throwback to the baggy-pants era. At its core, the union suggested that it was time for hip-hop to grow up.

“I think their marriage signaled to a lot of people that they need to try to be part of a power couple, where both the man and the woman have great ambitions and separate lives, but still come together,” says Yee, who has had some particularly rousing interviews with Jay.

Beyond the potential social influence that seeing a strong black couple can have on the youngsters that idolize her, the relationship solidified Bey and Jay as certified heavyweights financially. The newlyweds topped the list compiled by Forbes after collectively earning $162 million between June 1, 2007, and June 1, 2008. Their ranking puts their income above that of super couples Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, and David and Victoria Beckham.

“Baby I can feel your halo…
pray it won’t fade away …”

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand that Beyoncé’s brand has traveled well beyond America’s borders and into international territory. While she’s no Bono or even Alicia Keys on the philanthropy tip, she’s dabbled in humanitarian efforts, mostly through her Survivor Foundation, which she runs with her family and Kelly Rowland. The organization was set up to provide transitional housing for 2005 Hurricane Katrina victims.

She’s also made sizable donations to victims of Hurricane Ike in the Houston area. In 2005, she co-wrote “Stand Up For Love” which was the anthem for World Children’s Day. And she contributes heavily to her home church in Houston, St. John’s Methodist Church, where she and Kelly Rowland built the Knowles-Rowland Center for Youth.

As her brand continues to expand, she’s expected to strengthen her humanitarian ties, which will hopefully resonate more heavily in her music, which as of yet, lacks any real social themes.

“I think she tries to be a good role model with her philanthropic activities, but her lack of interviews and strong opinions make it difficult to be a leader or particularly empowering,” Yee reasons.

But even now, as it stands, Beyoncé’s influence has been wielded worldwide. She performed Etta James’ “At Last” at the presidential inauguration, a move that showcased her potential to merge her political inclinations with her career.

“Beyoncé is a certified star,” says Vargas, mentioning artists like Janet Jackson and Madonna as having paved the way for her success. “Her rise from Destiny’s Child to her solo career is a testament to her sheer talent and stage presence. [She] has definitely been an inspiration to her generation of artists and fans to [achieve] the kind of marketing power that she commands.”

Pepsi, L’Oreal and Nintendo aside, when all is said and done, it’s been proven that the most effective brand is Beyoncé herself.

The Branding Power of the Female Anthem
There’s nothing more empowering than a great female anthem. Not only does it win artists cool points with women, but it can even help to brand them. Check out some of our favorite female anthems from women who understand the power of branding themselves as promoters of girl power.

“Survivor” – Destiny’s Child: This was the quintessential power anthem at the beginning of the decade, and in the years since its release, it doesn’t seem to have lost any of its flair.

“Just Fine” – Mary J. Blige: There’s probably no other female artist who has expressed the plight of females like Mary J. Blige. When Mary got happy and released the affirmation anthem “Just Fine,” she inspired millions of women to turn over a new leaf.

“Irreplaceable” – Beyoncé: Yes, this song was written by a man (Ne-Yo), but it resonated with women on a core emotional level, encouraging them to break out of bad relationships and get a new sense of self and self-esteem.

“Beautiful” – Christina Aguilera: This song resonated with both genders, but spoke to women in a special way. It also branded Christina as an insightful artist and helped separate her from cookie-cutter pop stars.