The 'American Idol' Matrix: Superstars, Cash Cows, Problem Children and Dogs

[Miguel]

A business-oriented Rolling Stone article. Idol fans area bit defensive in the comments.

The 'American Idol' Matrix: Why It's Tough to Create a Superstar

Though the wildly popular singing competition has launched a handful of popular stars, the show hasn’t proved to be the superstar-generating machine it was originally billed to be when it began over a decade ago.

...In my book Celebrity Inc.: How Famous People Make Money I speculate that it is because Idol is a moneymaking endeavor first, entertainer second, and star-maker third (in order of importance).

...I classify previous Idol winners and the occasional runner up lucky enough to get a contract through the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) growth-share matrix, a business tool oft used to classify successful and struggling business units in a company.

The model is predictive. If you’re a cute, sugary sweet sometimes blonde your potential for success according to the matrix is quite high. If you’re a dude’s dude with a penchant for artfully mussed hair and flannel all bets are off (unless you’re Daughtry) and if you’re a poppy gay then things are still up in the air.

The matrix has four categories: Star, Cash Cow, Problem Child, and Dog. Stars make money, Dogs don’t, and the other two exist in purgatory somewhere in between.



Stars not only sell lots of albums, but they are also eminently likable and therefore salable across other platforms. They get lots of endorsement and licensing deals. Carrie Underwood is the epitome of a Star. Not only has the diminutive blonde country powerhouse sold more than 11.57 million albums (which gives her a high market share), but her brand strength continues to grow through endorsement and licensing deals, because she is enormously likable. On the Davie Brown Index (DBI) of likability she has a score of 80.57, by far the highest of any Idol contestant. She is also aspirational to her fans, because she cultivates her celebrity. Underwood first played the celebrity dating game by being linked romantically to Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo and Gossip Girl actor Chace Crawford, and in 2010 she married Ottawa Senators hockey player Mike Fisher. She is entirely inoffensive and, despite marrying a Canadian, is apple-pie all-American with her blonde hair and blue eyes – which makes her the ideal brand spokeswoman for companies like Vitaminwater and Olay.

The Cash Cow is a performer with high sales in a low-growth market. After starting out a Star, Kelly Clarkson became a Cash Cow in 2011, nearly nine years after her Idol win. It’s a terrible title but not a bad market position. Over the course of her nine-year career, Clarkson has sold around 11 million albums, including half a million in sales for her most recent release, Stronger. Though she consistently performs well on the charts and continues to sell, the pop audience has changed since her 2002 win. It keeps getting younger. By 2010, artists like Justin Bieber, Ke$ha, Miley Cyrus, and Lady Gaga were cutting significantly into Clarkson’s fan base of tweens and teenagers. Additionally, the entire rock market – of which Clarkson (and pop generally) is a part – declined by 16 percent in 2010. And unlike Underwood, Clarkson simply doesn’t have the kind of celebrity personality that excites the tabloids and endears her to the public, which makes her less sought after by brands.

...Problem Children (Adam Lambert) can become Stars or Dogs. They have the potential for high growth but they require significant investments of time and money and a lot of nurturing.

...A Dog has low market share in a low-growth market. Hicks’s genre of bluesy rock had little potential for radio airplay and was difficult to market. There was no growth to be had...What do all these canines have in common? They’re men and they’re not obviously pop singers.

Take a look at the Idol contestants next time they take the stage together during the show’s Hollywood Week. Think about the music you and your friends listen to. Think about who looks like a star. That seems to matter when it comes to future long-term album sales.

http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/...z1jqrDEJI9