Angelina Jolie's PR Strategy: Use celebrity strategies from Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt

November 26, 12:48 PMSF Marketing and PR ExaminerSusan Harrow

Previous Next

2 comments Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the SF Marketing and PR Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

1. You can reinvent yourself at any time.
Angelina Jolie used to be perceived as an outlandish babe primarily known for her tattoos, bi-sexual adventures and odd wardrobe choices including wearing a necklace "ornamented with dried blood."

Today, she's photographed in tasteful, casual, mostly black clothing toting her six kids (three adopted children — Maddox, Pax and Zahara — and three biological children: Shiloh and the twins, Knox and Vivienne),
or in glamorous attire looking stunning and radiant.

She has masterfully shifted the focus from eccentric outlaw to maternal philanthropist and United Nations good-will ambassador. Her latest role in "Changeling", as a mother fiercely fighting to get her missing child back, further solidifies her persona as a protector of children.

2. Use your power for good.
Angelina Jolie reported sold exclusive rights to the photos of her twins, in addition to an interview, to People magazine, (August 18th issue) owned by Time Inc., for $14 million.

When she gave birth to her first child in 2006 People magazine successfully bid for the photos along with an exclusive interview, which sold for an estimated $4.1 million. Jolie and Pitt said that they donated the amount to charity. What do you have that's in high demand that you can leverage for the good of your favorite charity or cause?

3. Straddle mystery and known entity.
According to the NY Times, "Ms. Jolie expertly walks a line between known entity and complete mystery." She cultivate relationships with reporters, and orchestrates her own photo shoots for the paparazzi. By creating her own controlled environment for photo shoots she effectively manages her image and develops strong ties with photographers who she can turn into allies.

4. Negotiate for what you want.
People magazine won another bid for photos of Jolie and her adopted Cambodian son, Maddox. Included in that deal was coverage of her charity work for the Cambodian people. You don't need to have star power to be a savvy strategist, but you can couple your good deeds with the product, service or cause you're promoting if you package it all as a fascinating story.

5. Understand what sells.
Angelina Jolie understands that people want to peek into her personal life so she uses that as leverage to influence her audience to pay attention to issues that are important to her. Glimpsing into the lives of stars and the interesting lives of other people sells newspapers and magazines. You'll need to decide for yourself what is right for your own comfort level and sense of privacy. A bit of titillation goes a long way. 

Follow me online
Social media is about making connections. Connect with me on the following social media sites.
Twitter - Examiner.com - Facebook - LinkedIn - YouTube - Biznik - Hubpages

Have A Topic Idea?
I'd love to hear it! Just email me any time here and let me know what topics you'd like to know more about.