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Five Examples of Celebrities and Brands Successfully Connecting With Their Fans

Updated: Apr 5, 2022

The nature of popular culture and social media trends is becoming quicker and more dynamic. A new wave of communication tactics used amongst celebrities and brands maximizes social media strategy and bolsters audience connection. It is important to acknowledge how communication skills are successfully used in the digital world of entertainment. They act as the foundations of conversation between the celebrity/brand and their fans. I will explore five examples where celebrities and brands use strategic communication to connect to their audiences effectively.



1) Angus Cloud Live Tweets While Watching “Euphoria”

Photo Credit: HBO Max


The popular dramatic series “Euphoria”, written and directed by Sam Levinson, stars celebrities Zendaya, Jacob Elordi, Sydney Sweeney, Angus Cloud and more. The maturely rated high school drama revolves around sexual desire, self-identity and drugs. Angus Cloud’s character, Fezco or “Fez”, acts as the city’s “super-chill” drug dealer who sells substances for the sake of supporting his family. Cloud’s well-loved character carries a special place in many fans’ hearts, so watching six out of the eight episodes alongside the actor is a treat.


From the first through sixth “Euphoria Day,” Cloud live tweeted his thoughts and reactions to the final cuts of the episodes. He confesses that his manager did not let him watch the whole season, so he watched with fans in real time by live-tweeting.


Cloud breaks the “normal” boundaries set by celebrities. Him tweeting his personal thoughts throughout entire episodes creates a new level of intimacy with fans. He connects with “Euphoria” watchers through self-disclosure and transparency. Cloud shares opinions that celebrities oftentimes prefer to keep private, which motivates his fans to further interact with him and the show. He brings up new conversation starters revolving around his character and the show, which immensely helps with promotion and audience engagement.

2) Harry Styles’ Alleged TikTok Account Goes Viral

Photo Credit: Neil Mockford/GC Images, @suemonella via TikTok, via PopBuzz


It’s safe to say almost everyone knows who Harry Styles is. Whether you like him or not, he is here to stay (at least for a while). The former One Direction member and prominent solo pop artist is known for being fairly private and uses his public social media accounts solely for promotional reasons. There have been speculations that Styles’ third album or “HS3” is set to release this year. With this in mind, fans have been on the hunt for new Harry Styles content and clues.


A suspiciously familiar TikTok account was found by fans and thought to be Styles’ page. With over half a million followers (as of March 2022), the TikTok account @suemonella grows by the day as fans try to uncover new clues regarding Styles’ cryptic messages. Fans make hundreds of videos trying to make sense of his alleged TikTok account—some even breaking millions of views.


Styles and his team work intricately as they push out new content to start buzz regarding his new album. Though it is not confirmed that this account is really Styles’, the mere concept of the famous yet mysterious popstar lurking through the same social app as you can be very exciting. Styles’ potential increase in the amount of social media channels encourages fans to sustain their “relationship” with him. Since there is a new outlet for fans to possibly interact with him, there is a greater perception of connection.



3) Rex Orange County Performs Live on TikTok

Photo Credit: Junnelle Maala


Alexander O’Conner, aka “Rex Orange County,” is an alternative/indie artist who is set to debut his fourth studio album on March 11th. As part of his promotional tour, similar to many people, he and his team hopped on the TikTok bandwagon.


As a means to boost a couple of his singles on the new album, he live streamed a mini concert on his TikTok account. He performs a song he mentions is “for the lovers” titled “Amazing.” The upbeat, lovey-dovey anthem was performed acoustically on TikTok prior to it being released on Valentine's Day.


Rex emphasizes the premise of the song before he performs it to set the scene for his audience. Though subtle, his preface sets an expectation for listeners. The simple line, “For the lovers…” appeals to his fans’ emotions. His charm, the build-up, the song and the official release date being on a day that celebrates love, all factor into how he connects his song to his listeners. Rex pulls at his fan’s heartstrings through such strategic communication tactics.



4) DuoLingo Conquers TikTok

Photo Credit: DuoLingo, @DuoLingo via TikTok


Like others, you would not traditionally expect a language learning app’s mascot to be twerking on TikTok. However, DuoLingo’s mascot, Duo, has posted comical performances on TikTok garnering millions of views. Along with Duo’s silly antics, the owl has an unrequited love for pop singer, Dua Lipa. Duo latches onto the most popular TikTok “sounds” and celebrities to develop a highly relatable and entertaining brand for the DuoLingo app.


Because of the positive feedback Duo gets from their TikTok audience, Duo keeps the show running. Aside from videos, you can find DuoLingo actively commenting on popular and niche TikToks to drive more traffic to their account. Duo and DuoLingo’s social team are cognizant of how well their risky choices do on TikTok, which motivates them to continue this posting structure. There is a mutual understanding of how the two-way communication plays out, which results in an overall positive experience for all.



5) “Spider-Man: No Way Home” Releases Physical Copies of “The Daily Bugle”

Photo Credit: Liberty Mutual Insurance, @LibertyMutual via Twitter


For one day, before the release of the box office hit, “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” the film partnered with Liberty Mutual Insurance to give fans physical copies of the renowned tabloid newspaper, “The Daily Bugle” in the Spider-Man universe. Liberty Mutual tweeted the announcement for fans to stop by the pop-up stall in New York City. Because of the fictional newspapers’ role in all of the Spider-Man iterations, fans scrambled to get their copies.


The idea of having a physical version of the newspaper you would see Peter Parker read in the original comics and movie adaptations plays to fans’ love of the entire Spider-Man franchise.


The execution of the newspaper release was spontaneous, leading to a great amount of online coverage. Because people on the street were able to snag their papers, pictures and videos flooded all of social media. The hype allowed “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and Liberty Mutual Insurance to receive even more promotion and allowed fans to connect their positive emotions and nostalgia to the film.



It is fascinating to think about the overall intentions and inner-workings it takes to connect to various audiences. All celebrity/brand interactions stem from effective communication tactics and strategies that get fans’ brains stimulated and emotions stirred. Imagination, creativity and awareness of popular social trends are other factors of successful interaction amongst celebrities and brands. I love pinpointing the details that go into what seems like absentminded actions, but this list only captured a handful of successful connections celebrities and brands have made with their fans. Which celebrity or brand comes to mind when you reflect on these types of interactions? Let me know down below!

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