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Forbes Magazine Celebrity 100

Forbes magazine have named the American singer and actress, Jennifer Lopez, as the world’s most powerful celebrity. The American Idol judge claimed the top spot in the Celebrity 100 list replacing Lady Gaga who slipped to fifth place this year. Her success can, in some degree, be attributed to the way she has developed the J.Lo brand through a diversified range of business products. In particular her perfume and fashion line have made a major contribution of raising her profile in the past twelve months.

Broad Portfolio of Work

There was a time when success in just one discipline was enough to top the list and celebrities could find themselves in the number one spot just through acting, or singing success. This is no longer the case and a Forbes top slot can now only be obtained through a broad portfolio of work if the J.Lo example is anything to go by. She has nailed the top spot by earning a staggering $52 million in the course of the last 12 months and, unless you are a Hollywood A-lister, with a string of blockbusters under your belt, or a sporting personality with a trophy cabinet full of top honors, and the endorsements to back it up, this kind of money can only be amassed through a range of avenues. This is exactly what J.Lo has done.

Twists and Turns in the Tale

The J.Lo tale is certainly one which has had a fair few twists and turns. Indeed her life story at this point must have many a Hollywood scriptwriter reaching for their textbooks in order to pen what is the truly remarkable story of ‘Jenny From the Bronx.’ Just a few years ago it looked like she was washed up. Her musical popularity was on the wane, album sales were down. After a blistering start in Hollywood she suffered some box office flops and the plum roles just dried up. Even her clothes lines were struggling. She was very publicly battling on all fronts and was losing quite badly. There was some conjecture as to how she would cope with the kind of losses that her brand was incurring and speculation was rife that she was a big star in danger of falling completely from the skies.

Turning Point in 2010

The turning point for J.Lo came in 2010 when she managed to secure a role on the talent contest American Idol. The role projected her back into the public eye and reinvigorated her brand across the US. Added to the new job she had some upheaval in her personal life which helped elevate to her status. She broke up with her husband, Marc Anthony, and as a single mother was identified with by many and got oodles of media attention, which did no harm in pushing the brand even further. With the return to fame came the endorsements and she secured deals in the cosmetics world with some big name brands like L’Oreal and Gillette.

Clothing Line With Kohls

As her portfolio regained its stature she added a clothing line at the Kohl’s which hit the market running and then added her own brand fragrance which, on the back of an aggressive marketing campaign, established a strong foothold and turned in some decent revenue figures. She also got back into the studio and arranged collaborations with some ‘on-point’ artists like Pitbull and Lil Wayne which have helped her back to the top of the charts with hit after hit. Re-finding her fame has also allowed her to pump up her American Idol salary, her contract for the second series was reputedly for some $20 million.

Management of Social Media

It is fair to say that as part of her resurgence J.Lo has left nothing to chance. She has not relied on any one part of her undoubted talents to carry her along, but instead focussed on ensuring that every effort has been made to ensure she remains at the top of the pile. Her use of social media exemplifies this. She has 12 million fans on Facebook and 6.6 million followers on Twitter. She maintains high profile and regular contact through her social media with the fans and this has helped Lopez to re-establish her dominance and bring in the massive earnings that have put her at the top of the list for the first time.