Q&A With Celebrity Branding Expert, Jeetendr Sehdev: ‘Do I think Kim (Kardashian) can become the next President of the United States? Absolutely.’
Jeetendr Sehdev is a New York Times bestseller, media personality, and celebrity branding expert. According to Harper’s Bazaar, Jeetendr is “the most relevant voice of the social media era.” He is a familiar face on shows like Access Hollywood and CNN Tonight and regularly writes opinion pieces for publications like The Guardian and Forbes.
Originally from Bristol, England, Jeetendr graduated from Oxford University before completing an MBA at Harvard Business School. He began his career in advertising at Ogilvy & Mather in New York City, where he built some of the world’s most iconic brands.
His well-known book, ‘The Kim Kardashian Principle: Why Shameless Sells and How to Do it Right,’ was published in 2017.
In your New York Times bestseller, you write that hate is a form of engagement. What is your advice on how to deal with haters?
A close friend of mine once said: “pay no mind” to the haters. I remember that day feeling really panicked and upset but I knew he was right. I know it’s easier said than done. Over 40% of youth and adults say they’ve experienced cyberbullying in one way or another so in today’s social media reality, we really don’t have a choice but to embrace the hate – whether it comes from an individual, an organization or the media. Consider it to be a form of engagement and move forward with what we believe and want to create. We owe that to ourselves.
You named your book The Kim Kardashian Principle. Do you think Kim Kardashian and her instagrammable tribe are a force of good for society?
Absolutely. I think Kim Kardashian is a new world leader and a cultural force to be reckoned with. She’s a strong woman who is showing us a new way of living and being. We’ve always been afraid of change-makers but I think that change and difference is good for society. Besides, it makes things a lot more interesting.
You’re the world’s leading expert on celebrity branding. The US had movie star Ronald Reagan in the white house in the 1980s. America now has a former reality tv show star in the white house, do you think Kin Kardashian can run for office and win?
Do I think Kim can become the next President of the United States? Absolutely. It’s about time we had a female President who has proven to set a vision and align millions of people towards that vision. Don’t you think?
You advocate intimacy, authenticity, and bold opinion as key drivers of engagement and shareable content. What else drives cut through content?
I think authenticity, as defined by living up to your standards and not the standards of others, is the key differentiator in definition here.
Prior to the launch of your book, you were an investment banker, advertising executive, then a Chief Marketing Officer and a marketing professor. How would you differentiate between marketing and public relations?
I don’t really differentiate between marketing and PR, especially in today’s social media reality. Before marketing was about driving sales and PR was about the press. But the way brands are adopting social media platforms, using influencers to get the message out and driving sales, etc. everything is changing. I think it’s all blurred now. What I do know for sure is that in this new world reality, the discipline of PR is only going to continue to increase in power, importance and effectiveness.
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