Can't say I ever thought I'd write a post like this, but here you go...
In one fell swoop, Dannii Minogue - sister of singing star Kylie and a recording and TV personality in her own right - has managed to change public perceptions of her 'brand'.
Unless you've been living in a cave, you'd know that Dannii and boyfriend Kris Smith have just had a child, a little boy named Ethan.
Now, Dannii has always been a bit of a publicity junkie and is no stranger to the tabloid press or women's glossies.
We quite rightly could have expected her to do what most other celebrities seem to do after giving birth - keep the bub under wraps before emerging several weeks later in some lowbrow glossy rag.
The story would be an exclusive, of course, complete with airbrushed photos of the couple gushing about the new addition to their family.
Often, money has changed hands. Celebrities and their babies are popular with readers so the glossies don't mind spreading the cash to get the 'behind-the-scenes' story.
Refreshing Tweetphoto
Thus it was refreshing for Dannii and Kris to take a Tweetphoto of their happy moment and share it with the world via Twitter. No exclusives, no fashion spreads, no airbrushing.
Just an 'real-life' shot of the happy couple. Now, I don't know about you but I reckon Dannii looks the best she has like, forever! Glowing, happy, authentic...real.
By eschewing the exclusive in a women's glossy and instead sharing the special moment with her fans, Dannii's image has not only received a credibility boost but she may well have won herself a slew of extra admirers. Oh, and the rest of the media probably loves her that little bit more 'cos they got the pic the same time as everyone else.
Other celebrities - especially the B-graders - take note. You could do a lot worse than what Dannii Minogue did this week.
Here are a couple of comments made to the story on The Age website:
Good on you Danni - nice to see a celebrity who is just happy to share with her fans. You've gone to the top in my estimation!!
Congrats Danni and Kris......and thanks for sharing your precious moment with us....for nothing. You have certainly gone up many MANY notches for this act..
Best practice celebrity PR in action!
