Kim Kardashian is having a moment. She was everywhere during New York Fashion Week, appearing at SNL’s 40th anniversary wearing blue contacts, being criticized by Amber Rose and holding a crying toddler.

On social media, the reality star generated almost half-a-million posts over the course of the week. Kardashian was also sitting front row, lending her considerable star power to New York’s fashion brands.

One of those brands was Alexander Wang, and we’ve looked at how Kardashian’s presence helped brand visibility across earned media. As a point of reference, we have included Michael Kors, a more established brand that did not have Kim Kardashian in the front row.

Brand

News

Social Shares

Social

Alexander Wang

Alexander Wang + Kim Kardashian:  1.4k

Alexander Wang  Without Kardashian:  2.3k

Total:  3.7k

Alexander Wang + Kim Kardashian:  484k

Alexander Wang  Without Kardashian:  303k

Total:  787k

49.4k

Michael Kors

2.3k

222.2k

123k

Kim Kardashian generates reader engagement. Kardashian was present in just 38 percent of Alexander Wang’s editorial coverage, but responsible for 61 percent of sharing activity.

Our control brand, Michael Kors, did not generate as much editorial interest, but being an established brand with a fairly constant level of buzz, the brand significantly outperformed Alexander Wang on social. (Having Kendall Jenner walk the runway also helped.)

To answer the Kardashian question – if you want to build brand awareness, you would be wise to invite Kim Kardashian to your brand’s next event. She will boost media output, and prompt social media discussion.

However, if your brand has a message to communicate, find someone else. Right now, Kardashian’s personal brand appeal is immense, and her presence will probably outshine any message your brand is trying to communicate. As with all celebrity associations, define what you need and proceed with care.

About the data

We used Cision’s PR Software and Social Software tools to monitor global online news and social media content about Kim Kardashian, Alexander Wang and Michael Kors from February 11 to 18.

Social Shares defines the number of times an online news article has been shared on major social networks. It is a useful guide to understanding what editorial content prompts reader engagement and social media discussion.

Featured Image: Eva Rinaldi (Creative Commons)

About

As vice president of research, Liam Kelly leads Cision’s global news and social media analysis business in EMEA (London) and APAC (Shanghai).