The Marketing Bestie Podcast with zoeunlimited - when pretty privilege fails you. literally.

Episode Date: June 12, 2025

How did Kendall Jenner RUIN more than $60 million worth of pretty privilege? MORE than once?for REAL authentic Mexican flavors 🩵try my fav viral horchata electrolyte https://tapx.it/tastesalud zoe10 😋 get 10% off with ZOE10 A case study on Kendall Jenner's branding & rebranding, digital marketing, and business growth from a Gen Z perspective.Join membership for full dives:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHmq99a0Q5La7UmP0kYbUeQ/join✍🏻EXTENDED episodes & marketing insights https://tapx.it/stanzoeunlimitedLearn & Grow with me.💖 Instagram: https://tapthe.link/zoeunlimitedig💜 TikTok: https://tapthe.link/zoeunlimitedtiktok🖤 Listen on Apple & Spotify: https://tapthe.link/zoeunlimitedapple https://tapthe.link/zoeunlimitedspotify🪭 All my outfits https://tapthe.link/zoeunlimitedltk👩🏻‍💻 LinkedIn https://tapthe.link/zoeunlimitedlinkedin🛒 Amazon Essentials https://tapthe.link/zoeunlimited👉use code ZOEUNLIMITED for 10% off ALL travels on Klook https://t.ly/aA76T📸My gear: (Sony A7Siii) [ZOEUNLIMITED15] https://tapx.it/lensrental 📧 Business inquiries: [e-mail] //🕙Timestamps: 0:00 Intro4:15 Kendall 1.06:03 Branding misstep 19:47 Branding misstep 211:40 Branding misstep 314:22 3 rebrand strategies

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Free of charge. BetMGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with Eye Gaming Ontario. How far can Pretty Privilege get you? Candle Jenner. Candle Jenner. Candle Jenner. Bombastic side eye. Criminal offensive side eye.

Bombastic side eye. Are you not like other girls, Kendall? Are you tired of stalking me? Because bitch, you're obsessed. So when my mom, I'm gonna blame it all on my mom. If there was one person who saved the universe in a past life, it must be Kendall Jenner. Because she was dealt with everything anyone.

with everything anyone could ever ask to be successful. A virally beautiful face and body with Victoria's Secret Angel wings. I'm at the Victoria's Secret fashion show getting ready. Every opportunity in Hollywood and commercial. Make America fall in love. The famous mom, dad, sister, sisters, boyfriends, best friends. Every single brand and elite magazines at her fingertips. A humble mansion, a global brand.

More than 287 million internet friends. But somehow, there is still a way to mess everything up. feels amazing on my skin. Huge pick me girl. Being rude to fans. Taking advantage of Mexican culture. So how exactly did Kendall Jenner square more than $60 million worth a pretty privilege?

Oh shit. That's exactly the mystery we'll uncover today. But not only that, as your marketing bestie, who graduated top 1% UCLE business economics with a background in marketing. We're going to explore how the prettiest pretty privilege can still fail you if you have a terrible brand. And how you, yes, you.

no matter if you have pretty privilege or not, can build a successful brand to help you down your career. Because by brand, I don't just mean slapping your name on a tequila bottle. And I promise you, you'll be blown away. Hooked. Well, A, you never showed any tequila or Mexican culture in the past. B, you're downing tequila from the bottle with your sister to a young audience of underage girls.

One more shot. I think we should start the video with five shots. I think we should start the video with five shots. C, promoting it as a style. Whitewashed version of Mexican laborer is not a good luck. And D, very publicly dating one of the most well-known Latino pop stars, Bad Bunny, just comes across as a very unnatural PR stunt. While crowding out-shelf spaces for Mexican-owned brands that are struggling.

And if you want to support a brand that is rooted in rich Mexican culture, check out Salude. I met the founder Josh and he just wants to share his love for his Latin roots with the world and created a product that made me someone who used to hate drinking electrolytes. Now feeling closer to Mexican culture. With authentic viral Latino flavors like orchata, hibiscus, pineapple mango, cucumber lime. I have a lot of food sensitivities. The quality of salud is just unmatched. I'm filming with the Orchata one here.

Perfect. It just does not have the weird bitter aftertaste or too much salt and is packed with elderberry that keeps me from being sick. The founders are thrilled to give us 10% off with code Zoe 10. When you can't get marketing bestie from a not a luxury drinker to a salute fan, that's when you know it's good branding. Because branding is how your future client, future boss, future boyfriend sees you. And yes, you have one. I love your hair yesterday.

I love when you're normal kind of hair, but then you put like bangs or something. Your back pores, I love getting in there on your spray tance. Don't be sensitive. I'm creating this series to analyze pop culture brands from a marketing perspective because I want all of us to unlock the potential to build businesses and personal brands. Join the free email list below for additional marketing knowledge and let's break down the three branding missteps of Kendall Jenner and the three strategies that could save her. Oh damn that's a whack as f***ing nasty.

First, we need to understand how Kendall Jenner had every single chance to build a billion dollar empire. Oh, this? Oh my god. Once upon a time, there was a small, wholesome family that lived in a humble house in a rural place called Los Angeles. And truthfully, without any sarcasm, I think they're some of the best marketers and entrepreneurs of the century. As a family of inhumanly hot, rich, and dramatic women who took up the entertainment headlines every 48 hours, Kendall Jenner has always been the most liked, least problematic member of the Kardashian clan. She seems the most natural.

and I'm obviously not as in a makeup as you. Is a self-proclaimed nerd. I'm a nerd. Tomboy. I was a tomboy for a couple years. Loves animals. I was obsessed with animals. I still am.

And is naturally tall and thin and athletic with an effortlessly cool, chic, high-fashioned look. Yeah. I think the best thing you can do is just go out there and be confident. My favorite part of my body is my height. And as someone who has not watched every single episode of the 20 seasons of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, I know, blasphemous, I always really like Kendall.

She has an aura of mystery, the cool girl factors that make you want to follow her. But perhaps this brand of cool girl comes with a price tag, one where the narrative is not up to you. What are some of the misconceptions that you've heard about yourself? I think the one that I guess hurts the most is that people think I'm a mean girl, because that's just not the case. You were bonding more with Kylie because she's like into makeup and stuff, and I'm totally not.

Your lips look amazing. Really? Yeah. Kendall said they were too big. Should I do it? Willie. Oh, I thought you were excited that. Come here.

They asked me to walk in the show. Come here. So do you care? Do you have an opinion? Of course I care. I think that that's so fun and exciting, of course. And so when you have a brand entirely tied to your name, it becomes a double branding crisis. Branding misstep number one, pick me.

Kind of like a legit professional and I'm like, you know what, this works. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, Kendall separated herself from her sisters. You're true. The chill, low maintenance, no drama one, especially compared to the hyperfeminine, hyperpublic personas of Kim, Kylie, et cetera. She emphasized that she did not wear a lot of makeup.

And I'm obviously not as in makeup as you. So she preferred a tomboy aesthetic hung out with mostly guys. Those years, I think I was more into sports and being a tomboy. Doesn't really know any celebrities and could not care less about her fame. I'm not like cool like that.

I barely know half the celebrity's names now. Although perhaps very true to who she is, these messages were delivered in a way that were framed against her sisters. Like you're super into makeup and I'm obviously not as into makeup as you. I was like a huge tomboy, like couldn't really care less about fashion. Who are not average shows but have massive fandoms themselves. And to a large extent, the reason that our girl has an initial audience in the first place. A brand is not how you see yourself, but how you are perceived in other people. She said she's quote-unquote natural in a way that implied her sisters are fake.

She made fun of quote-unquote extra behavior in ways that frame femininity as excessive or unsurious. It feels amazing on my skin. And while associations are powerful branding tools that helped establish her as part of the it girl tier, her being rumored to date within the same friend groups raised flags around girl code violations. lasagna, medium power, 15 minutes. Sounds like Ojo time. Let's play. Feel the fun with Play Ojo.

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and stocked up on antacids, ginger tea, and milk. Habaniero? More like habanier, yes. Save the everyday with Amazon. People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. She's just trying to take my shine and that's not even cool. And Kendall, despite all her success in crafting a beautiful visual brand, forgot to take care of emotional branding. I'm having a good time. Hey, you ruined my fucking night, so I can do whatever I'm gonna

especially when leaving a foul taste of ungratefulness when it comes to her commercial success. that her mother, Chris and Kim, poured their hearts into supporting. This is just an extension of modeling, Kendall. Why do you just storm out? You need to start acting a little bit more professional. Amy is so crazy. Bro, this is making me, like, upset. I'm just like, are you serious?

I'm literally going on. While coming across as someone who miraculously stumbled into modeling. I used to always take pictures, like, with my friends and stuff. I love, like, capturing a moment or being very candid and just, like, capturing all my friends and hanging out. Kendall also said, quote, since the beginning, we've been super selective about what shows I would do, I was never one of those girls who would do like 30 shows a season

or whatever the fuck those girls do. More power to them. Kendall Jenner being the highest paid model while saying she cherry picks her jobs and could never do 30 shows in a season. Next question. To be honest, I get it. She's ultra busy running all the projects as not just the highest paid models, but also an online personality, entrepreneur, etc. But because she comes with so many unique advantages, there needs to be more branding, precautions and this just came across as being lazy and privilege which is not very likeable

i don't know i'm kind of scared there you go and this is a core problem with kendall's brand the pretty but replaceable trap while being the most mysterious and pretty girl no one really knew what she stood for it all works out if the halo effect continues but once the halo turns into a horn effect, the mystique leaves a whole lot of space for branding misstep number two. The closeted, mean girl. I don't think Kendall is a mean girl. Just like how Jenny Kim has an RbF and is often misunderstood as a halty mean girl, Kendall Jenner faces a similar problem. Criminal offensive side eye. Kendall Jenner struggles with a branding crisis of nothingness. She tried to separate herself from the Kardashian chaos by being private, minimal, and above the drama,

But in a post-relatability, post-aesthetic world, mystery doesn't necessarily equal magnetism. She mistook low effort for high fashion quo. She's famous, but not beloved. Beautiful, but not bonded to an audience. Despite being one of the most followed women on Instagram, she isn't shaping culture, she's floating in it. In a visual world with so many pretty faces and bodies,

a casual follow is just a follow. It's fleeting. And when attacks like these mean girl, allegations arise, these quote-unquote followers are actually the first ones to jump ship. Especially when people begin to piece together negative perceptions of your brand, it's very, very hard to do anything right. Such as Corey Gamble calling Kendall an asshole. Kendra, you've been a rude person since for years, man.

You're all your asshole and you feel like it. Clips of Kendall coming across as a bully to Kylie. Kylie, stop me, you'll be honest. You're my biggest bully in life. Jordan Wood's saying she's scared of Kendall. Kendall pushing a security guard over on carpet. Kendall rolling her eyes at fans and Kylie saying, quote, I don't think we'd be friends if we weren't sisters.

All you do is act like a brat and I always get blamed for it. All the while getting backlashes for insensitive moments like the Pepsi campaign that further shifted Kendall's brand to a less and less likable one, which is already a sticky enough problem. But following the entrepreneurial spirit of the family, guess who Ms. Kendall Jenner does? Yep. Launch an alcohol brand.

Branding misstep number three. 818 backlash. Now the brand 818 itself is in a flop, and we will talk about what the brand did well. But the initial launch was not all glam, especially how the timing was 2021 right after her Pepsi scandal resurfaced in 2020. Downing tequila from the bottle with your sister. Come on, down the hatch.

Let's go. Ooh. To a young audience of probably, probably underage girls while running stylized whitewashed versions of a Mexican laborer is not a good luck. Gracius. On top of which, the initial price point was on the higher end because of a luxury and celebrity position, but because of the lack of a solid foundation of trust from the many backlashes of not just Ms. Kendall Jenner herself, but the Kardashian clan overall,

the lack of any ties to tequila or Mexican culture overall and in her prior branding made the launch seem like just a tone-deaf, cash grab and there has been a lot of speculation of whether her very public relationship with Bad Bunny was real or not is it quite convenient that he's one of the most well-known Latino pop star while she's been pushing nothing but 818. How are you dating someone but you can't speak to them? Bad Buddy revealed to Time magazine that he is still learning English and in a red carpet interview in 2021 he told a reporter that he didn't know what was being said. How do you sum up like the past year or so for you?

I don't know what you say. Kendall on the other hand does speak another language but it's not one bad bunny's familiar with. She speaks bird. He's talking to her over here and please just look at her face. She has no idea what he's saying. Second of all, this seems like the best time to market Kendall's tequila brand by connecting her with the Latinx star, considering her past controversy of being accused of exploiting Mexican culture with her photo shoot. The brand just felt like a pretty but empty shell. Created in LA, marketed with aestheticized Mexican imagery, then sold back to Americans with Little Soul. Critics Why are white celebrities constantly profiting off industries they didn't build?

While Mexican-owned brands struggle for shelf space. Now 818 did sell, but in spite of Kendall's brand, not because of it. It was a masterclass in distribution, not devotion. And had there been no branding tweaks, it would have been a not-so-prety disaster. With no emotional loyalty, it was not a brand built to survive. So, what are the rebrand strategies that turn this double crises around? Kendall 2.0. Just like Jenny Kim, Kendall's brand is iconic, but not matched with public affection.

Why? Because they didn't sell warmth. But here's the double-edged sword. That unlikable energy is also what makes her magnetic. So here are three small tweaks to turn cool and to also likable. First, quiet luxury to quiet intimacy. The problem with Kendall's brand? She's famous without connection. Her lifestyle is aspirational but cold.

To solve this, it does not mean she starts spamming you with TikTok dances or cry in front of the camera. It's to reintroduce herself with micro moments of vulnerability or unfiltered content. Not oversharing. Just something human. Being on Emma Chamberlain's podcast, awesome move. Being on Jay Shetty's podcast, also a great way of having controlled vulnerability. And what actually inspired this entire video was this TikTok from Kylie Jenner. I found him.

Edward. Just two sisters being goofy together. And it's so wholesome and cute, just reminding us that, hey, every human is multidimensional. And anyone, regardless of how large the following, is still human. Quote, this is the most personality I've seen from Kendall. Quote, this video was single-handedly cured Kendall's image. Quote, this feels like I'm watching a private story. Quote, this is better than all the Hulu-Kardashian seasons combined.

Because of how organic and natural everything is, the internet fell back in love with Kendall Jenner, or rather got to know her for the very first time. Gen Z's don't mind privilege, but they demand personality, purpose, and connection, which is now favorable for her tequila brand. Strategy 2. 818 Goodwill. We're going to dive a little deeper into why 818 was so successful. despite its initial pushback.

First, distribution. A1A got into 13,000 stores in its first year, including Total Wine, Bevmo, Kroger, and even 711. That level of distribution is rare, even for legacy brands. Most buyers, unlike yourselves, aren't doing deep dives into cultural ethics. They're just grabbing a bottle they can recognize. Second, the art of packaging. A1A's bottle branding and campaign visuals were minimalist, soft tone, model-off-duty vibes. Even if people hated the cultural contacts, they still posted the bottle at brunch.

It looked good and looking good on its own is a distribution channel, which leads to third cultural relevance. Through Kendall's fame and associations, 818 was placed at almost every major pop culture events bar. Every revolve and forward event I went to default tequila 818. The pairing with Rouse homemade made it more relatable and a kitchen staple. The collaboration with Chamberlain Coffee for espresso, Martini love.

You know I'm not like a huge coffee drinker and you know espresso martini's put me on. I know. Oh, I know. Oh, I've seen her on some nights out. I know. The goodwill from Emma's fan base of Gen Z Girlies grows the natural affinity towards Kendall's brand. Regardless if you like the brand or not, your subconscious perception will change, aka the mere exposure effect by psychologist Robert Sajonk in the 1960s, which found that repeated exposure to an object, face, or brand increases.

positive feelings toward it without even conscious awareness. Which ties to strategy three. Brand cohesion. You see Kendall's face on a billboard, then in a liquor store, then in a TikTok recap at Coachella, then at your friend's bar cart. Eventually, you don't just recognize the brand.

You start to like it because it feels familiar, safe, and socially validated. It becomes a self-reinforcing system of 8-1A building up Kendall's brand as an entrepreneur, while the positive associations of Kendall, the modern aesthetics, high fashion, and aspirational values feed back into the brand. It is also important to know that A1A launched at $45.

In 2024, they dropped it to $29.99, directly undercutting Casamigos and matching the rocks Taramana. That move caused Blanco sales to jump 94% year over year. And reposition A1A from aspirational to attainable. And more importantly, now gives the pretty but blank brand of Kendall a brand pillar. Kim is known for shapewear, Kylie known for beauty, Chloe for Fitness and Relatibility, and Kendall. Even though being an iconic face in fashion, which could have been a way more natural business direction, she had a distinct style but was more so the muse rather than the visionary.

Until she became known as the brand builder, which at first seemed very random and off brand. But the magic occurred in the consistency in the past four years. So whether you're an entrepreneur or building your personal brand, for homework, take out your notes app. If Kendall's quiet luxury taught us anything is this. Pretty branding isn't powerful branding until it's personal. Ask yourself, first, what do people feel when they experience your brand? If you disappear tomorrow, what emotions would they miss?

Second, are you hiding behind clean because you're afraid to be clear. Is your aesthetic doing the talking because you haven't found your voice yet? Third, what is your signature lane? You can't own the whole map. Choose your hill and plant your flag. I don't care if you like the Kardashians or not, I need their support or am against them. I just think anyone online could be over-objectified. But at the end of the day, they're just human. People grow and evolve. And with the massive audiences, there's so much potential for Kendall to have an actually positive impact on the next generation. of women to come. If you learn something here, send the episode to someone you love. Give it a five-star rating. Free email list, resources, all links are below. This is your marketing bestie Zoe Unlimited.

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