The Power of a Good Personal Rebrand: Ariana Madix Edition
The absolute standout star that is Ariana Madix shines so bright in the year 2025, but once upon a time, she was a guest star/friend of some of the cast on the first season of Vanderpump Rules. How did she get to the level of stardom she is at now, singing on a float for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and starring as Roxie Hart in Chicago? Let's talk about it!
Now, as much as I'd love to just deep dive into all of Ariana's time on Vanderpump Rules, I don't want to focus much on her time with her long-term ex-boyfriend. If you have no idea what I mean, look up "Scandoval" and you might see where I'm coming from. I'm here to talk about a phoenix, rising from the ashes of betrayal and coming out stronger and more successful than many bargained for. Because her meteoric rise started with "Scandoval", I will give a quick recap to set the scene, but I'm hoping to keep mentions of Tom Sandoval to a minimum.
Ariana found out Tom was having an affair with a fellow cast member, a close friend of hers, after holding his phone at a music performance of his. Season 10 had just wrapped up filming right before this gig, but because this was so wild, production picked the cameras back up to document this hurtful moment. As a long-time fan of the show, my heart ached for Ariana, seeing her so hurt after this 10-year-long relationship was effectively blown to pieces and coming to terms with the fact that a person she called her friend was lying to her for eight months. Because this situation was so wild, many people began watching the show and became big fans of Ariana. I was happy to rally behind her as many watchers were doing at this time. Viewership was UP like it hadn't been in at least a few seasons and brands were taking notice.
One of the many things mentioned in this #Scandoval (Season 10, Episode 15) episode, said by Tom to Ariana was "It's like, Ariana, when's the last time you've gone to the store. and bought paper towels and toilet paper? Like, there's pens in the drawer, there's batteries in the drawer. Because I do that." Soon after this Ariana did a campaign for Duracell with batteries. TikTok ad linked here: https://www.tiktok.com/@arianamadix/video/7242750733668420906?lang=en
The caption "It’s time for me to move on to something more premium. Thanks to @Duracell, I’m now fully stocked with the best. #Ad #Duracell" This ad had a GREAT response. With over 230 K likes on TikTok, millions of views across platforms, and tons of comments giving kudos to Duracell and Ariana for a great ad. Duracell wasn't the only one, she did a campaign with UberEats and some of the other Vanderpump Rules cast members, as well as a few sponsored posts joking about moving out of their shared home with GLAD trash bags.
In the rest of the summer of 2023, she did many more successful ad campaigns for many different brands. Because the fans rallied behind her and sympathized with her experience, she was marketing GOLD. It also helped that she was extremely charismatic and relatable in general. Ariana Madix was not going to be known as Tom's girlfriend as Vanderpump Rules season 11 was getting ready to air, it was announced in December of 2023 that she would be starring as Roxie Hart in Chicago on Broadway!! Ariana has a Theatre and Broadcast Communications degree, so this move makes sense for her. Also, at the start of Vanderpump Rules, it's known that everyone who works at Sur (the restaurant Vanderpump Rules features and almost all the cast works at) wants to be an actress or model or something in entertainment.
Ariana Madix made her Broadway debut on January 29th, 2024. A day before the first episode of Season 11 premiers. Her time on Broadway is met with positive reviews, with many praising her voice, physical comedy, and clear dedication to the role. A few reviews even mention how her heartbreak may have helped her shine further as Roxie Hart. The people loved her so much, she was asked back to reprise the role later in 2024 from August 1st through September 1st.
Yet another smart move from her and her team was her hosting the latest season of Love Island USA. I covered a topic on that season in my first blog post about the winners of season 6 if you want to read it (wink wink). Ariana said in that fated season 10 finale episode of VPR to her ex-boyfriend "You don't sit there and watch Love Island with me." The Love Island team saw the VPR fans, new and old, rallying around her and thought it would be a good idea to get her on to guest star for season 5.
After the positive response from her being a guest, they decided to bring her in as the host for season 6, which took the Peacock streaming service by storm. Bringing in the highest viewership of any Love Island USA season thus far, and cementing her as the host for this next upcoming season according to various sources. I am super happy about it because I thought she was an amazing host who really loves the show, and that translates to the viewer. Her love and care for the contestants and what they're going through really reads as genuine. She's been through similar things that the contestants go through and she is a big fan of the show, GREAT move on Love Island's part to get her as host.
Not only did she get to host one of her favorite shows, she opened a sandwich shop with a friend/costar of hers that is apparently very good and I can't wait to try it whenever I make it out to LA. And if you watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, you would've seen her singing"LoveFool" by The Cardigans on the Peacock float. Though it was announced season 12 of Vanderpump Rules would have an entirely new cast, she doesn't seem to be very bothered. I mean, why would she be? She is THRIVING and I love to see it.
2024 was the year of Ariana Madix, and I hope 2025 is no different. She shines so bright and I love a phoenix rising from the ashes, which I feel is very reminiscent of what happened to her. From the ashes of that horrible betrayal that happened to her, she rose and flourished. I cannot wait to see what she gets up to in this next year and beyond, and I hope she continues to grow.
What I take from her personal rebrand as a marketing professional is, you may lose your way, but if you stay authentic to yourself and what you love, eventually those opportunities can find you and you will grow into something everyone loves to watch and witness. She is a force and a very talented woman, I'm just glad to see her shining so brightly all on her own.
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