Author: Lauren Braunegg Published: June 6, 2021
Her brand is iconic and spans across multiple decades, yet Dolly still uses simple brand basics
Spending any time in the southeast portion of the United States, there is one name that reigns supreme, Dolly Parton. Dolly has been in the hearts of southerners for over 50 years. Not only is she an incredible singer-songwriter but she has stayed true to her brand. She has been able to build such a strong positive public image that last year the New York Times wrote an article titled Is There Anything We Can Agree On? Yes: Dolly Parton. So exactly how has this starlet been able to maintain her brand for so long? By doing several simple things really, really well.
- CONSISTENCY IS KEY
Ever since Dolly sang on the Porter Wagoner Show in 1967 launching her career and image with the song “Dumb Blonde”, she has been recognizable. Having a strong brand image can help launch a long successful career. While rebranding and brand tweaking does happen to stay current with the times, an initial recognizable brand is needed. Building a strong foundation for a brand requires consistency. Dolly Parton has always been known for large blonde wigs, an ample figure, bold eye make-up, eccentric outfits and a larger-than-life persona. She has a sweet southern charm and spicy quick wit that leave people stunned. The first one to crack jokes about her enhanced features, Dolly is used to being underestimated. After all, people do tend to judge her appearance first. A decade into her career, Dolly did an interview with Barbara Walters, where Barbara asks Dolly about her image. Questioning why she feels the need to wear all the wigs and even asking if she feels like she’s a joke or being made fun of. Dolly pauses a moment and says, “…I’d be something that would at least get the attention and maybe once they got past the shock of the ridiculous way I looked and all that. Then they would see there was part of me to be appreciated, I’m very real where it counts, and that’s inside.” Later stating, “Oh I know they make fun of me, but actually all these years people have, you know, thought the joke was on me, but it’s been on the public. I know exactly what I’m doing, and I can change it at any time.” Every aspect of Dolly’s image is in her control, and she is extremely self-aware of the image she is putting out to the public. With this type of consistent branding, she has been able to build extreme fan loyalty across a wide demographic. This has helped her have a successful career over the last 50 years. After all Dolly did let us know that “just because I’m blonde don’t mean I’m dumb, cause this dumb blonde ain’t nobody’s fool”.
- BE AUTHENTIC, BUT NO NEED TO OVER SHARE
Although it is ironic to suggest authenticity about someone known for saying “it costs a lot of money to look this cheap”, there is something incredibly authentic about the way Dolly presents herself. As just mentioned, Dolly is fully aware of the image she is presenting to the public. The Netflix documentary ,“Dolly Parton: Here I Am”, opens up with Dolly saying that she never really tried to hide herself from anyone and she thinks that is one of the reasons she’s still around, people feel like they know her. Being authentic helps build upon the foundation of consistency and trust within consumers. While there are aspects of Dolly that are clearly enhanced, she has always been honest when the topic is brought up. Poking fun of herself and being humble has made her likeable and adding the southern charm has made Dolly unstoppable. Most of Dolly’s personal life is unknown to the public and it has left a bit of mystery around the superstar. Oprah Daily posted the timeline of Dolly’s marriage, a fan favorite mystery, as most people have never seen Carl Dean, yet alone know they’ve been married for over 50 years. Fans have come to understand that Dolly and Carl’s marriage is something between the two of them. You might think that her personal life has stayed private due to being not part of the social media movement, but her five million twitter followers would disagree. Dolly has been able to train her fans to not expect any information that regards her personal life, but she has never not answered a direct question on the subject. She has found the perfect balance of sharing parts of her life to fans but not oversharing so there is no piece left just for her.
- EMBRACE THE COMMUNITY
Throughout the years, Dolly has been the vision of what giving back to the community looks like. In 1986 Dolly bought Dollywood, a Smokey Mountain theme park in Pidgeon Forge, TN. Nestled right at the base of the Smokey Mountains and Gatlinburg, TN the resort is the area’s largest attraction and entertains about two million guests annually. She been able to help expand the area by opening up a dinner theatre called Dolly Parton’s Stampede which features live entertainment and southern fare. Recently she opened DreamMore Resort, a southern inspired family resort that is located just several miles from the theme park. She visits the area multiple time a year to do appearances. Again, thinking of ways to support community, in 1995 Dolly started the Imagination Library as a way to give kids free books within her home county. She has stated that “the seeds of these dreams are often found in books and the seeds you help plant in your community can grow across the world.”
Since the start of the program, it has expended into 5 countries, and currently gives one million free books monthly. In 2016, there were dangerous wildfires that tore through Gatlinburg, TN. Thousands of buildings were destroyed and the blaze itself, at one point, threated to hit Dollywood. 14 people were killed by the fire and thousands of acres of the national park forest were damaged. Dolly used her foundation and raised money for the families that lost everything and donated $1,000.00 monthly for five months after the fires to families affected. At the end of the five months, she donated an additional $5,000.00 for a total of $10,000.00 to each family. But that was not enough, she pledged an additional three million to an organization that is continuing to support and recover the area. Time and time again Dolly shows she cares for the community that raised her and provides opportunities that she didn’t have growing up. These goodwill actions generate a positive public image and allow people to get a better understanding of Dolly’s values. Consumers favor brands that align with their own personal values and hold companies to those standards. Again, due to years of consistent branding, Dolly has a golden reputation for not only saying the right thing but doing the right thing. Companies are all part of a community and have a civic duty to give back and not only be an active participant but embrace the true potential a partnership could provide.
These three basic principles are a start to a great foundation on building a strong positive brand. Dolly has been able to build upon her fans loyalty by being truthful and honest. Trust takes a long time to build with consumers and is easily broken. However, once it’s broken there is a slim chance you will be able to regain it. Over the years through authentic consistency and embracing the community, Dolly has been able to build an empire.
Lauren Michelle Media 