Celebrities are wearing more than one hat in the entertainment world these days. In order to engage fans and maintain status, those in the limelight are constantly looking for ways to stay relevant. The Emerald decided to explore and review some of the tactics celebrities have reverted to; in recent years, the trend has been personal applications created and endorsed by the stars themselves. Here is a quick rundown on what they are, how they work and if they’re worth it.
Khloe Kardashian Official App:
Celebrity apps can vary — some are game oriented and others are all about the celebrity who created the app. For reality television star Khloe Kardashian, the latter is true. In 2015, Khloe, alongside her four sisters, launched a personalized app that gave fans an inside look at her life.
The app is split up into five categories: “Khloe xo,” “Glam,” “Fit,” “Video” and “My favorites.” It now has over 1,000 reviews on the app store — the most out of all five sisters.
The “Khloe xo” section is the most up to date and is also where fans get to hear Khloe’s voice the most through her short messages in each app entry. The “Glam” category, however, lacks clarity and fails to give examples that show fans how to achieve certain hairstyles and makeup looks that Khloe loves.
The “Fit” category is the most detailed out of all five sections and gives fans written instructions on how to do some of Khloe’s favorite exercises. The “Video” portion is disappointing because it features Khloe’s trainer and hairstylist more than her. Lastly, the “My favorites” section is confusing considering she labels many other entries in different categories as her “favorite,” yet they are not under that specific category.
The app is overall easy to navigate because the menu is the first thing that appears when the app is opened. However, three out of the five categories had more cons than pros. There is not enough relevant content to keep users engaged.
Taylor Swift: The Swift Life
In late 2017, singer Taylor Swift launched her very own app. Unlike the Kardashian apps, Swift’s is more community oriented and allows fans, called Swifties, to not only interact with Taylor, but with each other.
The app is styled to incorporate an Instagram feel, as well as a gaming aspect. Users have their own feed that they can engage with by following other users and “liking” other Swifties’ posts about Swift. Swift’s own feed is next to that section and is where she posts personal videos and messages to fans. Other categories allow for fans to create their own posts about Swift, as well as receive updates on the star and the app.
The ability to post personal appreciation for Swift, like other fans’ posts and see messages from the star is sweet, but the gaming aspect of the app throws the entire thing off — there are too many things happening at once.
The app takes around two minutes to load and get to the home screen. When it does open, Swift’s music is blaring — it’s a bit obnoxious. The same two songs will play over and over unless users unlock new songs, which can only happen if fans like enough posts on their feed. Even more, too many random animations of music notes and stars pop up at once, making the app confusing to navigate.
Chelsea Handler: Gotta go!
Comedian Chelsea Handler is known for her hilarious one-liners. She puts this trademark to further use in the comedy-themed app that she released at the start of 2016. Her app is designed to help users come up with excuses to get out of unwelcome situations.
Users open the app, enter their phone number, select a category they wish to receive an excuse from and set a timer for when they wish to receive that excuse — text or phone call. The app will even send an entire fake text conversation so an excuse to leave the scenario seems more authentic.
For example, users might be on a date that is not going well and need an excuse to leave. They can get on the app and program it to send a text or call from whoever they choose. The fake sender can claim they need help immediately, giving users an excuse to leave the horrible date.
The concept and execution of the app is creative and well-done. It is easy to navigate and the text messages are realistic and timely. There is a wide variety of excuse categories to choose from, including: the death of a dog, a family emergency and a broken-down car.
Handler’s app doesn’t pertain specifically to her own life as the other two celebrity apps do, but the unique concept is fitting to her comedic personality.
