By SAMANTHA ETTUS
19-OCT-05

While Hollywood stars capture the bulk of our pop culture attention, a whole different crop of stars are becoming huge in their own right. Rather than aspiring to be the next Robert DeNiro, Meryl Streep, Patti LaBelle or Mick Jagger, this assemblage of talent looks to Martha Stewart, Donald Trump and Emeril Lagasse as role models. They are the next celebrities – the people brands that are expanding ceaselessly with magazines, consumer products, and television shows. Whether chef, designer or fitness guru, they are all using their talent to develop consumers' trust and their power is growing. This week we take a look at three such brands and their future potential.

Rachael Ray
The darling of the Food Network, Ray now stars in four cooking shows including, 30 Minute Meals and $40 a Day. But her on-screen success is just the tip of her culinary iceberg. Ray's brand initially struck a chord with consumers by offering a solution to the constant rush, with signature 30 minute meals packaged with her girl next door demeanor. In addition to her numerous bestselling cookbooks, Ray is currently launching her own food lifestyle magazine in conjunction with Reader's Digest, Every Day with Rachael Ray. While there are many competing magazines on the market, thus far none has been branded with a personality behind it, and the playing field remains wide open. (Martha Stewart has her own mini-magazine, Everyday Food, but it is kept at a distance from the Stewart brand and lacks a certain credibility since Martha herself is no chef.) By partnering with a savvy publisher, she is poised to capture a niche that is ripe for the taking. But the fresh faced Ray isn't stopping there; following in the footsteps of Dr. Phil, Ray has secured her biggest coup yet, her recent anointment as Oprah's next big bet. The star maker herself will be producing a Ray hosted talk show to be launched in Fall 2006, proving that food is just a stepping stone for this savvy chef.

Rachael Ray's Celebrity A$$$$ets

Ty Pennington
The success of ABC's uber-popular Extreme Home Makeover can be largely attributed to Pennington, who has now become a full fledged brand on his own. Though Pennington started out as a model and actor – an atypical path for a sustainable people brand – he has become a true anomaly, distinguishing himself from the crowded field of home decor gurus by relying on his goofy yet gorgeous lumberjack persona to propel him to fame. Like most people brands, Pennington emerged in the public consciousness as a result of a successful run on cable TV; his loveable carpenter act on TLC's mega hit Trading Spaces led directly to his emergence as a leading network star. Pennington now boasts a best-selling home furniture line at Sears, and his success looks likely to continue – there is no better platform for selling himself than on ABC primetime each week. Let's just hope his fame doesn't reignite his acting bug – that transition could be detrimental to the trajectory his career has accidentally, though impressively, taken.

Ty Pennington's Celebrity A$$$ets

Denise Austin
There is perhaps no bigger name in fitness than Denise Austin. She has had a lengthy and unfailingly successful career, launching over 50 fitness videos in the past 20 years and remaining ahead of the curve even today, having just released a new Pilates DVD. The root of Austin's success is her consistency; she continues to practice what she preaches and has held fast to her mantra that 30 minutes a day is sufficient to stay fit – an attainable goal for even the most time-pressed woman. Unlike the trap that has befallen many a celebrity, she never strays from her core competency, initiating brand extensions that are always within the bounds of her expertise. And she never fails to demonstrate her approachable nature, even displaying her height and weight on her website for all to see. Her online fitness counseling center is now used by over one million people, and she continues to appear on Lifetime's Forever Fit with Denise Austin. Still managed by her husband Jeff – brother of tennis phenom Tracy Austin – Denise Austin has proven that fitness is indeed a family affair.

Denise Austin's Celebrity A$$$ets

Remember: the most dependable road to the top is to treat your brand as your greatest asset.

(Samantha Ettus is the author of "The Experts' Guide to 100 Things Everyone Should Know How to Do" (Random House). Contact her at Samantha@celebrityassets.com.)