Sidney Wu

Model, TV personality and founder of 818 Tequila, Kendall Jenner, was spotted on a bar crawl around multiple Mid-West colleges this week. Her appearances in colleges like the University of Indiana, the University of Michigan and the Ohio State University were for a campaign to advertise her tequila brand. Large crowds at each school gathered around her vehicle that escorting her from bar to bar. 

Jenner was also recorded going into college houses to give students 818 merchandise and play a few drinking games. Most footage released of Jenner was posted on social media by student witnesses. 

Jenner’s approach to this campaign should not go without recognition. The way that the news was released online by students (not news outlets) allowed the campaign to feel more genuine whether it was or not. Often Jenner and her famous Kardashian sisters are portrayed as mean and unapproachable celebrities. However, by going to colleges and interacting with students, it allows consumers to see a friendlier side of Jenner that will likely increase sales for 818 Tequila.  This campaign was executed perfectly because Jenner’s team identified the audience, being young adults, and directly went to area where large populations of 20 year olds are (a.k.a colleges) to create connections with them. 

What would I do if I were on Kendall Jenner’s PR Team 

While I think face to face interactions are the best way to grow trust with customers, the most efficient way to reach larger audiences while still engaging them, is on social media. In 2020 model, Gigi Hadid, posted an instagram story about one of her signature dishes she liked to make while being pregnant. Hadid’s vodka pasta recipe went viral across the internet and hundreds of people tried to recreate the dish and posted their attempts to social media. Social media users even coined the term, “Gigi Hadid’s spicy vodka pasta” that was more recognizable to some people instead of the original pastas’ name. 

Therefore I think it would be a great idea if Jenner took advantage of social media to create a to TikTok of a her making a signature drink with her tequila brand. The video should be a light hearted selfie angle of her recreating a drink using fast cuts, similar to the way TikTok videos are typically edited. The video should appear effortless and should be shot at her home to look more relatable to a viewer. Naming the drink of choice a catchy name like a “Kenny Tonic” or a “Kendall Sunrise” will be easier for TikTok users to hashtag and recreate on their account. Establishing a recognizable drink name will make it easy for people to search this topic and also help with the algorithms. Following this formula should emulate what Hadid did with the pasta as well as also grow a larger audience and incorporate a way for fans to engage with Jenner.