What Paris Hilton can teach us

By SAMANTHA ETTUS
Scripps Howard News Service
24-FEB-05

With her most recent gaffe landing her once again on the cover of magazines, Paris Hilton is worthy of examination.

Horrifyingly, when reporters mention "Paris" these days, it's a good bet they're referencing the celebrity, not the city. When something wild happens to Paris, and it always does "happen" to her, she assumes a prominent spot on the evening news. Yet nobody seems to know how or when Paris Hilton became a celebrity. After all, she isn't (yet!) a movie star, she isn't (yet!) a rock star and she hasn't (and won't!) discover a gene that causes cancer. But despite her lack of accomplishments, she has become a pop-culture icon right before our eyes.

If we can't stop the Paris madness, we can at least learn from it. Here's how:

1. She loves herself

Everything about Paris screams, "Look at me." Her nickname is "The Heiress." While many billionaire babies might try to fit in by squelching this moniker, Paris embraces the stereotype and uses it to sell herself and, in turn, her products. Her new record album, just the latest product in the Paris empire, is titled "The Heiress." We could all use a bit of Paris' self-confidence to enhance our own personal brands.

Celebrity Assets Lesson: Self-confidence breeds success.

2. She makes drama profitable

When an ex-boyfriend went public with a video of his sexual exploits with Paris, the Hilton family attempted to legally prevent him from distributing the footage. They failed to stop the inevitable, but Paris negotiated a hefty settlement including a cut of the sales from the film, thus profiting from her embarrassment. Celebrity Assets Lesson: See the dollars through the doldrums.

3. She knows her power

While filming her hit reality show "The Simple Life," Paris adopted the phrase, "That's hot." Her incessant use of these two simple words drove the slogan to become rapidly and wildly popular, and Paris had the foresight to promptly trademark it. Though we can only imagine what consumer products she has in store for us, we're certain that whatever they are, they will be profitable.

Celebrity Assets Lesson: Work with what you have.

4. She makes no plans

At this point, Paris merely needs to exist to attract attention. While other celebrities scramble to stay relevant, her spontaneity has us waiting with guilty anticipation for her next move. Paris simply floats along, fully aware that if her heart flutters or she spills ice cream on her sweater, she will be newsworthy. Whether she accidentally loses (then finds) her beloved Chihuahua, "accidentally" stars in a porn video (I hate when that happens!) or accidentally loses her Sidekick mobile device, forcing her high-profile friends into a mad race to change their contact information, Paris causes a stir.

Celebrity Assets Lesson: Be spontaneous.

Still, we're left with one looming question: What makes Paris so fascinating? Here's our take: Paris is an almost cartoonish version of what we would be if we didn't need to care about the impact of our actions, worry about money, go on a diet or have to work. Embodying that? Surely celebrity-worthy.

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(at)celebrityassets.com.)