The Evolution of Fame: How Has Hailey Welch Become a Modern Celebrity?

If you are too young to remember how the Kardashians started out, pay attention now. We have a masterclass of pretty much the same thing happening in front of our eyes. You may or may not have a very favorable opinion of the Kardashians but you will have to admit that they have brilliantly navigated how personal brand-building works in our times. A similar story that I find fascinating enough to write about is of Hailey Welch, popularly known for a catchphrase that made her viral all over the internet.  

Who is she?

Hailey Welch is a regular Texas girl in her early 20s. She was spotted for an impromptu question by a social media influencer on the streets. Her reply to the question was uploaded on social media platforms and she became famous within a few days. Hailey went from being a worker at a spring factory to the internet’s favorite girl within days. It is interesting how so many aspiring content creators on all platforms are trying to make something that hits the mark with target audiences. The audiences however, have their own mind.

Her situation-

So Hailey became more famous than she was ever prepared for. This new-found fame on the internet is fickle and short-term in most cases. Every month something, someone, somewhere goes viral. Rarely do they stay viral, very rarely do they make money out of it. In times of the social media the 15 minutes of fame has shrunk to 15 seconds of fame. And that is where our subject stands out. Hailey decided to make the most of it.

What did she do?

She decoded what made her video viral, it was her way of talking with a country accent. Almost instantly she created a ‘country girl’ character that she still adorns with a hat and boots. Within days merchandise with her famous words was out for sale in her region, soon all over America. She was charging a decent amount of money to attend events/parties and marketing them on her social media. Last month, she came up with a podcast called ‘Talk Thua’, which is brilliant because her audience loves the way she talks. As expected, the podcast is ranked in top 5 on all American platforms it is streaming on. Just last week world’s most popular Youtuber Mr Beast booked a movie theatre to watch Hawk Thua podcast with his fans and friends.       

What are the results and why is it a learning?

No credible sources have given an estimate of how much money Hailey has made, but it has to be a considerable amount. This case study is not about money making, but about making the most of an accidental opportunity. There is a very good chance that a management team got in touch with her and guided her right after she hit fame. But that does not take away from the fact that she is the most famous internet celebrity of recent times.

Learning from her case study – There is a difference between going viral and being a celebrity. Celebrities make money. Capitalize every opportunity to build a personal brand.