POSITION PAPER 4

 Kris Jenner: 

How her public relations strategy took her family from 0 to 100

    Throughout this class, we have focused a lot on crisis public relations. While that has been extremely interesting and I have learned a lot, I wanted to go to the other end of the spectrum for my wild card paper. Instead of focusing on a crisis in public relations, I wanted to focus on a huge success story in the public relations world. One person who has been a hit in the PR world for quite some time is Kris Jenner. 

    Kris Jenner is many things: an entrepreneur, a New York Times Best-Selling author, as well as the creator and executive producer of hit series Keeping Up With The Kardashians. Along with these many titles, Kris is also the mother of some of the most famous people in the world. She has six children: Kourtney, Kim, Khloe, Rob, Kendall, and Kylie. Kris Jenner has essentially been the driving force behind her children's career, many might say she brought them from nothing to something without them possessing any real talent. Not only is Kris the manager of all her children, but she has also made a huge name for herself by creating numerous spinoff shows, starring on the cover of multiple big name magazines, and by being a supporter of numerous large charities. Jenner also has 44 million followers on Instagram and 12 million followers on Twitter. 

    In the past, Kris Jenner has gotten slammed and accused of using outdated PR tactics to promote her children, especially when it comes to how she advertises her daughters' bodies that have undergone many plastic surgeries. Many people feel as though Kris tries to cover this up or advertises their products as if they are being used on natural bodies. However, while I do have my many opinions on the Kardashian-Jenner family and their talent level and marketing ideas, there are multiple takeaways that PR specialists could learn from Kris Jenner.

    The first tactic that Kris Jenner uses in her public relations is that she always does something different. Like mentioned before, Kris has successfully taken her children, who many argue have no genuine talent, from nobodies to people whose names are known all over the world. The biggest example of this is how Kris took her daughter Kim's sex tape and somehow made it a positive press moment instead of negative publicity. From this sex tape, she launched the idea of KUWTK that became world renown.

    Kris is also an extraordinary example of someone who takes advantage of every single opportunity. Have you ever heard the saying, "Any press is good press"? Well, I think Kris Jenner has completely embodied that quote. Who would think to start a makeup line, specifying in lip kits, for their youngest daughter at the exact moment the entire world is speculating about whether or not the daughter has had lip fillers? I'll tell you who would think to do that: Kris. As people were beginning to pick up on the fact that Kylie Jenner went from having thin lips to suddenly having them be full in her red carpet photos, Kris was quick to create a line full of Kylie lip kits, knowing that people would jump at the chance to achieve a full Kylie Jenner pout. As of August 2021, Kylie is now worth $620 million dollars and was ranked 29th in Forbes' 2020 list of self-made women. 

    There is a popular quote that is often passed around social media that says, "The devil works hard but Kris Jenner works harder." While it is funny, it also explains what everyone, PR specialist or not, thinks of Kris Jenner and her managing skills. When people think of the Kardashian-Jenner family, they may first think of Kim or Khloe. If they think of talent within the family, they may think of Kendall because of her high-level modeling career or even Caitlin (formerly Bruce) because of the past Olympic career. However, have you ever stopped to think why these are the first people that pop into your brain? It all comes from the source: Kris. The way Kris has continuously kept her family in the spotlight is by staying consistent all these years. Most people would have thought to stop after the highly successful TV show about the family became famous. Or, they would have been fine settling with Kylie's makeup brand becoming popular. However, every single small moment the family has had in the tabloids and every time their names have been mentioned in film and interviews all comes from the consistency of Kris Jenner. 

    Behind the scenes, Kris calculates every story that comes out about her children. In a way, Jenner has become extremely close to being able to control the opinions of the public in the way she perceives her family. I say this because somehow, after every scandal or bad press her family has had, they are still held in high esteem and generally liked by people both nationally and internationally. When it comes to public relations, Kris Jenner has set the bar by her tactics which have earned her the name of the World's Most Successful MOMager.