I hesitate to think of a celebrity who is having a worse 2024 than Jennifer Lopez. In my PR groups there has been some serious collective shuddering going on when her name comes up. Nothing is worse when the story just isn’t landing.
From a PR standpoint, she and her team have worked the playbook to the letter: album, SNL, movie/music video, interviews, documentary, tour.
So why isn’t it working?
JLo, quite simply, has failed to evolve into today’s version of a celebrity, one who is hyper-focused on audience identity and subcultures.
When JLo rose to stardom in the early 2000s we were in an age of mass-appeal celebrity when beauty, body, a slick music video, and some B-level pop music cross-pollinated with interesting artists was the formula for success. But unfortunately, the JLo of 2024 hasn’t found the connection to her fans in the new attention economy. Creatives, artists, musicians - anyone who is in an entrepreneurial role - all want to produce work that speaks to them. It isn’t fulfilling otherwise. But to properly promote that work, engage with an audience, and sell music and tours, knowing your audience is more crucial than ever.
JLo’s latest round of projects are centered on HER.
HER love story.
HER heartbreak.
HER healing journey.
HER reunion with the love of her life.
And somehow she’s created an image of singing about it from high upon her pedestal, without connecting it to any kind of relatable experience that might appeal to a wider audience. Indeed, JLo’s biggest feat appears to be how deftly she creates distance between the public while at the same time begging for their attention.
And who is “her public”? For the life of me, I can’t define JLo’s audience. I don’t know who she’s trying to connect with, other than the early 2000 version of herself. And I bet you anything her PR team is trying desperately to figure that out too.
Consider other celebrities who have achieved audience relevance much more thoughtfully:
Beyoncé‘s recent albums have tapped into both mainstream and sub genre audiences, speaking to the LGBTQ+ community with Renaissance, or the country community with Cowboy Carter.
Taylor Swift hooks us with themes of love and heartbreak that make you adopt her songs as your own anthems.
Lady Gaga gives us all permission to release the little weirdo monster we have inside.
I hope she figures it out. For now a retreat and regroup is in order. (Especially if the breakup rumors are true.)