A country radio DJ recently made headlines when he declared that if broadcasters were to feature less female-fronted music in their rotations, listener numbers would increase. That statement struck most decent human beings as stupid, and now a study from Creative Artists Agency—a company that specializes in branding—has given some solid proof that the statements were legitimately stupid. Turns out that three of the biggest six names among advertising's six biggest stars are country performers: Carrie Underwood, Reba McEntire and Faith Hill.
And if anyone knows what people want, spending millions just to figure what appeals to the populace, it's advertisers.
It's not just female country stars who are building big names with corporate sponsors...Adele and Yolanda Adams are also in-demand. Of course, maybe country music is a factor unto itself...the only male in the Top 6 is Blake Shelton.
"Country artists are totally open to brand partnerships, probably more so than other genres," said Laura Huftless, an agent for CAA, before explaining why female country stars are the biggest sellers. "As females we do look to other women—whether it's girlfriends, sisters, moms or female celebrity talent—to really influence our purchasing decisions. We look for recommendations. So a lot of these brands look to female celebrity talent because they're so relatable to women."
As it turns out, Underwood and company can probably care less about how often their hits are getting spun on the radio. Social media outreach is a more important method of determining influence, according to the CAA. That might explain why Shelton has more sway than his wife, Miranda Lambert...he's got eight million more Twitter followers. Oh, and he's on The Voice.
