The Marketing Bestie Podcast with zoeunlimited - it's not your face, it's your brand

Episode Date: January 10, 2026

claim your FREE stan store https://taap.it/freestanstore💡5 years of social media& branding notes (FREE. limited time): https://tapx.it/unlimitedyou-challenge✍🏻FREE EMAIL LIST https://tapx.it/stanzoeunlimitedHow did a “MISTAKE” in branding delay Chappell Roan’s success for 10 years? And... did she just reach her breaking point after 10 yrs of wait? Subscribe to learn how to build a brand.Learn & Grow with me.💖 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoeunlimited/💜 TikTok: http://www.tiktok.com/@zoeunlimited🖤 Listen on Apple & Spotify: http://apple.co/zoeunlimited https://open.spotify.com/show/0ZReedpR6Bf1kvHeKBuWY1🪭 All my outfits https://www.shopltk.com/explore/zoeunlimited👩🏻‍💻 LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/zoeunlimited🛒 Essentials https://www.amazon.com/shop/zoeunlimited📧 Business inquiries: [e-mail]//🕙Timestamps: 0:00 IntroChappell 1.0 4:06Chappell 2.0 5:487:09 factor 1 9:17 factor 2 11:04 factor 3 12:37 factor 4 13:47 factor 5 14:50 branding crisis?

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Learn more at tellus.com slash online security. No one can prevent all cybercrime or identity theft. Conditions apply. Would you rather be pretty or different? I'm a random bitch. You're a random bitch. To that, Chaparone really said, I'm actually not like the other girls.

Duh, I'm Chaparone. And I need to, I yelled that. Chape will the front of the dress, please. Chapo turned towards us. Not me, but. It feels like I was right all along. I love that fans, like, finds such deep meanings to things, and I'm just like, I don't know, I thought I looked hot.

So. And then she said, please don't follow. me anymore and she like ran away. Did you not know who I was before? No. I've been famous for like one month. This is not how it's gonna go, girl. If there was one person who offended the god of fame in a past life,

it must be Chaparone. Despite being identified as talented by Trois Yvonne 10 years ago, done with the largest record label, worked with Olivia Rodriguez producer, and has a powerful voice. There was something that hid Chaparone's talent and shine for over. shine for over 10 years. A curse, a bad branding.

Look, I made many mistakes at this year's Coachella. First, at underestimating how good Sabrina Carpenter's set would be. Second, at being so late to the Chaparone hype that I not only completely missed her set, but somehow did not know who she was. I mean, no big deal. It's not like if I were to ever try seeing her again, I would be squished to the back of 100,000 people at Lollapalooza. So how did Chaparone, who seemingly came out of nowhere?

an overnight success, your favorite pop star, ranking right behind Taylor Swift, and even turn down an opportunity to perform at the White House. Nothing is a coincidence. It is all marketing. Just like how no one will pay attention to a diamond in a cardboard box, it took Chaparrowon 10 years to rebrand from just another unknown struggling indie artist into one of the hottest pop singer, trendsetter branding genius, whose debut album is a right after Taylor Swift's on the chart.

I'm your favorite artist, favorite artist. But the bigger question is, has she just reached her breaking point after 10 years of weight? Capel Rhone not going to her performance. Did you see? I did not get Princess tattooed on my ass for you not to treat me like one, you f***ing bitch.

I owe back! You don't get to yell at me like that. Capul Rone does have a PR problem. As you're marketing best, who graduated top 1% UCLA business economics, with a background in marketing, we're going to explore how a shift in brand finally unlock Chaparroams shine after 10 years of trying,

despite having the talent and personality. I love looking pretty and scary or like pretty and tacky or pretty, like, or just not pretty. I love that too. And how you can take things from our story and apply to your dreams. Because branding is not about putting your name on a shirt.

A brand is not how you see yourself, but how your future college, future body, future boyfriend sees you. I'll go fuck if you think it's selfish for me to say no for a photo or for your time or for a hug. That's weird. And I'm creating this series to analyze pop culture girl icons from a marketing perspective. Because of the power of influence they have over a generation of young girls. So what in the Chabaro magic turn a memorable into stardom?

And what happens when that hard-earned fame bites you back? back. I don't like her. Get off the internet. It's not for you. And if you don't want to be famous, then you can stop performing. Canceled. It's canceled. It's canceled. But first, here's how Chaparome broke, the irrelevance curse. Let's take it back to Chapel 1.0. Kalee Rose Amstutz was fond of music since childhood. But a streak of bad luck seemed to follow her love for music. At 14, she auditioned for America's got talent without success. No problem. She began uploading covers to YouTube and began drawing attention. 2014 choice of one was already a fan.

Quote, I've had a 16-year-old girl on repeat for two months. You have to listen to this girl, guys. Go send some love. Then Chappell got signed to The Atlantic Records after uploading her son Diane to YouTube. You'd think she made it at this point? But far from it. Welcome aboard via rail. Please sit and enjoy.

Please sit and sip, play, post, taste, view, and enjoy, via rail, love the way. Yes, amazing vocals. But if you look at just the visuals alone in her early music videos, you can see that this chapel was 50,000 miles away from iconic. She looks and sounds like every other small artist with an Adele-esque feel or resembling some already famous artist whose name you cannot recall and that's exactly the problem. You cannot out Adele Adele or any other artists. It's good but there's already too much good art out there to be memorable. Playing it safe to appeal to the masses, Chapel barely appealed to anyone. Same deal with her following releases. Chapel had this amazing unique musical talent but packaged in the most generic way. Like putting

a three-star Michelin into a McDonald's cardboard box that no one carries. enough to pay enough attention to discover the amazing content inside the box. Until Chaparone was ready to stop playing it safe at the Pink Pony Club. Before Chaparron was ready to full launch into Chapel 2.0, when she first tap into her queerness and free self, got a taste of what her eventual brand would be. Like all good stories, she had to overcome some major unlucky events. First, just about when USA Today ranked Pink Pony Club, third on a list, on a list of the 10 best songs of 2020.

Due to low profitability, Atlantic Records dropped her. But wait wait, her boyfriend of four years also broke up with her the same week. COVID hit so her very densely song did not pick up. Then Olivia Rodriguez driver license blew up, so Dan I growl, also Chaparone's producer, shifted all his attention to producing Sauer and has no time for Chapel. But Chapel did not give up. She did everything and anything in between being a barista and a nanny, while figuring out her new brand.

The brand of being an unapologetic Midwest princess. What is this music? So how to Chaparone finally break the curse of an unmemorable brand and become the new face of pop? This is four years in the making. This is the Urban Outfiters exclusive, but Jesus Christ. I'm going to break her rebrand down in five key ways. Don't be nervous, chapel, you got there.

First, finding her niche. A key principle in marketing is that if you try to appeal to everyone, you appeal to no one. This was a hard lesson learned from Chaparone's journey. From this vanilla and safe but unmemorable visual to the safe music style and good hurt, bad for you and die young, Chapel switched to narrowing her focus into a really key part in her identity, in her love for drag aesthetics and embracing her queerness. Okay, you guys ready? I see in her red hair getting brighter in each major music release and bolder and bolder eye makeup.

To tapping into the 1980s synth pop and early 2000s pop style, something seemingly unpopular and countercultural, to the overly EDM and TikTok-fied music trending at the time. Although this cuts the market down in a great chunk, Chaparone finally understood that one true fan is way more valuable. than a thousand lukewarm strangers. So who is Chaparone's core audience? I feel like we're just making music like unabashedly gay.

Queer women in their teens and early 20s. Am I a queer teenager? No. Do I listen to her style of music? No. But somehow, her brand reached my awareness. That is the power of the paradox of niching down. The more niche chaperon became,

the easier it was for her to grow a small but cult-like following. that will push her towards the mainstream. As Chaparron told Time magazine, quote, I think people are getting a little bit more risky and that's always when great pop music is born. No fear of looking raunchy or that you're gonna make people upset. Turned out, the more she owned up for her difference and stopped trying to fit in,

the more magnetic she became to the general masses. If you've been saying Chappelle Rowan, this is your final warning, it's Chavall Rompe. I made it. Second, associations. Remember what a brand is, guys? It is everything and anything that something is associated with. Meaning people and brands.

Starting with people. Just like how Sabrina Carpenter opened for Taylor Swift and received the Swift stamp of approval, Chaparone tapped into Olivia Rodriguez's girly fan base, as she not only opens her shows for her, but their friendship is also so cute and adored by the internet. I hope she plays hot to go. This isn't Olivia Rodrigo, Regal concert that the borrowed credibility further emphasizes her brand as a serious blue chip artist

in addition something that chapel does extremely well is setting clear boundaries of what she is not associated with such as clearly voicing out that she does not work with fast fashion like h and m it is just not her brand doesn't fit in this world no hm does not fit in this world also f h and m remember if you appeal to everything you appeal to nothing this is this means Chaparone will lose the appeal to a portion of the market, sure, but her selectiveness with her endorsements makes her brand more premium and builds more trust with her community, which is why she has not rushed to launch any products. She's only worked with a few brands, but each is carefully selected, like her Google Pixel partnership and only keeps a very simple

line of cute merch. I would say though, because Chapel has a very distinguishable visual brand, there are a lot of opportunities to explore down the line, including different themed palettes that match her albums. And I have no doubt that so many people are going to dress up as different versions of her this Halloween. Thus, we have to talk about. Third, visual brand. In a visual world where audio cannot sell without visual, from the cigarette in her hair to purposely,

and I mean purposely smudging lipstick on her teeth, Chaparone is a visual branding genius, and knows how to give a compelling visual performance. The moment that she tapped into her love for the drag queen aesthetic and began giving people an over-the-top visual feast with her insane energy and personality, the moment that she became a brand like no other. I mean, just look at the difference between Chapo 1.0 and Chapel 2.0. Not only does Chapo Roan deliver a stunning visual performance,

each appearance, she also manages to keep people surprised each time through her and her team's creativity, while strategically tying all the visual marketing with her product, her music. The fact that Chaparong wore a pig nose to the Grammys in February, created all these conversations, then made that the cover art of Good Luck Babe, released the song two months after in April, made it to Billboard 100, and just in time for Coachella, to blow it up further. This was such a smart multi-step campaign that shows success is never just a fluke. And speaking of Coachella, Chaparro is a wizard at fourth community.

Regardless of the size of her audience, Chaparro knows how to light up a crowd. I was like, people came? Yeah. And that's kind of everything else has been the cherry on top. Starting from the beginning of her small cultish following to the massive sea of people at Lollapalooza, she makes sure to create themes for each concert, such as Pink Cowgirl for Pink Pony Club, Pony Club, Mermaid, or Black and Red for My King's Car Month, which makes your fans feel like they belong, where they connect to not just chaparone the artist, but also everyone at the concert,

a one-of-a-kind experience, where they get to live vicariously as the Midwestern princess, the mermaid, the pink cowgirl themselves, which is analogous to why Disney World is so magical for little girls who visit the princess castles in their princess dresses. It really does not matter how big or small the crowd is. At the end of the day, Chaparone is able to create a special positive emotion that people now associate with her brand. And that is how virality begins from word of mouth.

From 10 to 100 to a massive cult-like following. Speaking of following, 5th, Chaparone knows how to use social media in two main ways. First, the hot to go dance is a great example. Of a viral and cute trend, not only for chapel's live audiences, but also for the whole internet to participate. Second, she uses her social media as a bridge between the caricature of this hyperglam, ultra-confident chaperone, with this bare-faced, genuine chapel who's so vulnerable, so grateful, so likable.

I'm reflecting on my life. And the past couple weeks have been like cuckoo. It's so sick to know that the girls are really supporting each other in the pop industry. And it makes me believe in the world. She's not afraid to open up about her bipolar and mental health. And I'm realizing that success actually makes me quite uncomfortable. Very email but necessary to tell you. Which allows people to see a multi-dimensional her,

deepening their trust towards her, which builds an undeniable parisocial relationship. But now leads to a challenge to her new successful brand. I don't want whatever the f*** you think you're supposed to be entitled to whenever you see a celebrity. I don't get a f*** If you think it's selfish to me to say no for a photo or for your time or for a hug. That's not normal. That's weird.

Now, the reactions to this is very polar. Some saying that Chapo is very entitled. Quote, Chaperon was truly not meant for fame, Lemo. Quote, I'm a random bitch. No, you're not. You're fighting with Taylor Swift for the number one spot in the world on the charts right now. When you reach that status, you no longer get to be a random person. But others are more empathetic saying,

Quote, watching how some of you treat Chaparone reminds me why fame scares the shit out of me. Especially with how Chaparone just canceled two consecutive shows, the debate over her is more heated than ever. From the history of musicians, we see that the struggle with the dynamics of this parasocial relationship is nothing new. But Doja Cat being an extreme example of saying how she hates her fans, to Lady Gaga, Billy Elish, Taylor Swift, claiming how they either fear or feel paralyzed by their magic.

Flanderlym., literally Taylor Swift's Torture Poets' Department album is about the struggles during her era's tour. From my view, yes, Chaparone is getting different waves of backlashes, but this is actually a great opportunity to witness Chaparone staying true to her brand, a brand of strong boundaries and taking no BS. She made it clear that she doesn't owe people anything, let alone let other people define her, for she is the artist, not them. Yes, she may be upsetting some fans who feel entitled to her. By canceling a show because she does not feel well enough, is actually setting up higher standards for the quality of performance that she promised to give.

Instead of doing a few cash grabs to ruin the brand. Quote, things have gotten overwhelming over the past few weeks and I'm really feeling it. I need a few days to prioritize my health. I want to be present when I perform and give the best shows possible. And just because other artists tolerated stalking and intrusive behaviors for, from their fans as a natural part of fame doesn't mean Chaparone needs to accept it. And she is reinforcing her brand as one of integrity and boundary, which means those who accept the true her will only support her further.

A small note for her though is to stay away from politics unless if her and her team are ready to face the extreme backlashes from both sides. Branding notes aside, it is refreshing to see the slow rise of both Chaparone and Sabrina Carpenter that both took over 10 years of behind the scenes before a seemingly viral moment, much opposite to the blow up of many TikTok stars who have much, much bigger followings in just a quick few months

without developing a brand, a real influence first. As a mantra I shared before, no effort goes to waste. So good luck, babe, you got this. This is your marketing bestie. Zoe Unlimited. Let me know your thoughts on Chaparone's overnight success and comment which celebrity you like me to analyze next through a marketing perspective. Episodes are now available on all podcast networks, Apple, Spotify, YouTube. Please share this episode with someone you love and I'll see you

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