Beyoncé Giselle Carter-Knowles, better known as Beyoncé, is one of the better known – if not the best known – celebrities in this era. However, she is not just a singer/performer but also a business. In a sense, all that she does and is contributes to her business, making her an incredibly successful business that made $115 million in the past year. The main value proposition of her business is the brand name of Beyoncé. There are many other artists and performers out there, but what sets Beyoncé apart is the brand image she has created.

Consider this: on December 13, 2013, Beyoncé released a surprise album on iTunes without any previous advertising or marketing. Once the album was released, sales were created solely by word of mouth as fans reacted through social media sites. The album sold over 600,00 copies in the first three days of its release.

All sales were possible because of the brand name and image Beyoncé holds; she is considered the queen of pop and R&B. Her brand image includes the experience fans have at shows, the music she creates and the influence she has on the music industry. She is so widely popular that it is considered strange to not love Beyoncé. All of this branding adds up nicely for her; she currently sits in first place on the Forbes 100 Celebrity list, second place on the Forbes Celebrity Money list and seventeenth on the Forbes 100 Women Who Lead the World list. Beyoncé may “just” be a performer but her branding has turned her into one of the most successful businesses of our time.