Over the years, the separation of marketing and pop culture has blurred—pop culture often influences marketing decisions, and vice versa. This means businesses in every industry can learn a few marketing lessons from iconic pop culture moments and apply them to their marketing strategies.
One of pop culture’s current spotlights is shining bright on actress and singer Sabrina Carpenter. Whether you’re singing her catchy and playful music, there is a lesson every business, marketer, and content creator can learn. Here are the four marketing lessons everyone can learn from Sabrina Carpenter's rise to fame:
1. Be Authentically You
Sabrina Carpenter is known for her playful humor, which shines through on stage, during interviews, and with the release of new music. This creates an authentic persona for her as a brand. Even while marketing her music and brand, Sabrina feels genuine due to the consistency in tone of voice and relatable nature of her branding.
In marketing and business, having a distinct brand personality that resonates with your target audience will help you stand out in oversaturated markets. However, it’s also important that your brand voice is genuine—people can tell when your branding is inauthentic. If your brand appears to be anything less than what you say it is, your business will be overlooked.
2. Work on Your Craft
While Sabrina Carpenter is dancing in the spotlight now, she certainly isn’t new to the industry. The 26-year-old began her music career nearly 10 years ago. Yet, she has just now received recognition in the music industry over the last few years. While struggling to achieve her breakthrough moment, Sabrina continued to hone her craft. Since she remained determined to succeed, the singer was able to meet her goals and finally have her pop star moment.
While this advice can apply to many areas of life—businesses and marketers especially—must remember that hard work will pay off, but only if they continue working towards their goals to achieve them. Success rarely happens overnight; for Sabrina, that success took 10 years of hard work to ‘happen overnight.’
In an acceptance speech at Variety in 2023, Sabrina shares her mom often likened her to the tortoise in “The Tortoise and The Hare” while growing up, noting that, “In moments of frustration and confusion it can feel like a letdown, but it turns out it’s actually a very good thing. And I’ve really loved getting to know the mindset of a slow rise.” Sabrina’s journey to stardom serves as an important reminder to keep working toward your goals and perfecting your craft—whatever that may be—and success will find you at the right time.
3. Create a Strong Brand Image
Sabrina tried various styles throughout her career until she found her best look. Once she found the styles and colors that were best for her, her style—and thus her brand image—became synonymous with Sabrina Carpenter. Her haircut and makeup style are now distinctly associated with her, with Sabrina Carpenter bangs and makeup trending online alongside her music.
In addition to her personal style, Sabrina cultivated an image to fit the entire aesthetic of her recent album, Short n’ Sweet. This aesthetic leaned into vintage looks that best complemented Sabrina and reflected the overall identity of her new album. With a consistent, clearly defined look, Sabrina created an era of her own that has piqued the public’s interest.
When building a business or marketing yourself, cultivating your brand image is important to becoming a recognizable name. Similar to crafting an authentic brand voice, you’ll want to create an image that stands out in the public eye, while remaining genuine to you or your brand’s ethos. With consistent imagery across your marketing channels, your brand awareness will increase as your target audience finds you and gets to know your brand.
5. Build Your Network and Connections
While hard work will get you far with your goals, building your network and connections in life will take you even further. In the last few years, Sabrina became acquainted with singer Taylor Swift, receiving an opening act on The Eras Tour, one of the biggest tours worldwide in 2024. This opportunity gave Sabrina even more visibility in the industry, and her music began climbing the charts and receiving recognition. With the powerhouse combination of dedication to her craft and building a solid network, Sabrina catapulted into her recent stardom.
Whether you’re just starting a career path, switching careers, or owning a business, building a repertoire of connections will help you get your foot in the door and earn recognition. While establishing connections in your industry may feel daunting, these relationships could lead to your next opportunity—whether that be a client, a project, or a new role altogether.
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Additional Sources:
Sabrina Carpenter Talks Getting Into the ‘Mindset of a Slow Rise’: ‘I Am the Tortoise’
The Rise of Sabrina Carpenter: Marketing Lessons from a Modern Pop Sensation
