Dolly Parton – a natural song writer and personal marketeer

By: Ben Webb

It’s hard to believe the glittering, smiling, irrepressible, super-talented life force that was Dolly Parton – the singer and the philanthropist – is no longer with us. 

Of course there was the distinctive voice and all those wonderfully crafted songs that shone a revealing light on life in America for decades. She wrote Jolene and I Will Always Love You in one day! No wonder she won 11 Grammys and had 25 US country No 1 singles and 47 albums in the Top 10.  

But there was also the person, the charismatic rhinestoned personality with toppling hairdos and an ever ready wit. As she famously said: “It takes a lot of money to look this cheap.” She was a marketing phenomenon and worked, well, 9 to 5 creating a powerful Dolly brand, which included The Dollywood Company, Dolly Beauty, Doggy Parton and Parton Family Cellars, the parent company of her Dolly Wines collection. She also created a lot of successful long-term collaborations with other brands, from non-profit organisations to jewellery makers and bakers.

Personal branding

But Dolly Parton the personality came first. In this, she is a lesson to us all in how to stand out in the crowd. Of course this is not a new idea. In 1997 the management guru Tom Peters wrote about the art of becoming the CEO of Me Inc. In a digital world with AI on the march and gobbling up jobs personality has, however, become far more important. Individuals need to promote themselves and to curate their image. Big brands expect it of their staff.

There is no one way to do this. As humans we are all different. AI cannot help here. And that’s the point. We have to know ourselves and how best to present ourselves in the evolving context and demands of our work environments. Dolly could give us a few lessons, though. Imagine if she’d asked for AI assistance. How would the algorithms have dealt with one of 12 children from a “dirt poor” family in Tennessee who wanted to sing. Dolly knew herself best.

Dolly – knowing her story

Parton knew she had talent and created herself – someone shiny, smiley and apparently artificial. However, what made her unique was that this superficial look was laid over a deep authenticity. Her humble background – her father was an illiterate sharecropper – was always part of her, but never exploited. This is a hard balance to achieve, especially when you earn a fortune. 

But she was always true to herself. And apparently to us. She never denied having the long list of nips and tucks and uplifts she underwent to keep up appearances. She knew it was good to be underestimated. She was cosmetic on one level but she liked to let her actions and generosity define her. A good example is the Imagination Library, a charity that has gifted 332,411, 218 to poor children in US, UK, Australia, Canada and Ireland.

Dolly – the show must go on

Dolly Parton ‘the show’ was remarkable. She wrote her first song at the age of six and went on to sell more than 100 million records. She released 49 albums and wrote more than 3,000 songs. Her last album Rockstar, released in 2023, was her highest charting on the Billboard 200, reaching number 3.

She won awards galore – Tonys and Emmys, appeared in magazines and on film, TV and Broadway – all the media platforms. And she moved with the times. Today she has almost 10 million instagram followers.

Growing – and expanding – the brand 

The Dolly Parton brand never stood still. Energetic, driven and blessed with a serious work ethic she continued to entertain, be relevant and allow her carefully crafted personality – and the immense loyalty earned over more than half a century – to deliver value. Her collaborations were symbiotic, enhancing both her brand and that of her new partners. Here are three that help to sum her up:

• Dolly Parton Children’s Hospital – a charity, looking after children. This May after a donation from the Tennessee-born Dolly The East Tennessee Children’s Hospital was renamed the Dolly Parton Children’s Hospital. “I’ve always believed that every child deserves a fair chance to grow up healthy, hopeful and surrounded with love,” Parton said on Instagram, all smiles and sequins and big hair. And sincerity. “That belief is what brought me together with the incredible folks at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital.”
• Kendra Scott’s Love Is Like a Butterfly collection – her music, confidence, craftsmanship. In 2024 jeweller Kendra Scott unveiled a butterfly-inspired collection modelled by Parton and inspired by her 1974 song Love Is Like a Butterfly. Four more collections followed, inspired by the songs I Will Always Love You, Change It and Coat of Many Colors.
• Baking with Dolly and Conagra Brands – the heart of the home, togetherness. Motherhood. The rhinestoned singer had a mother who could magically feed 12 children. It left its mark. Parton launched oven-loads of a baking mixes and frozen products in conjunction with Conagra Brands last year. You can find them on her website, Baking With Dolly, along with tempting recipes for down-home favorites like brownies, muffins and cookies. And a buttermilk pancake mix complete with a maple syrup bottle in the shape of, well what else, a guitar.

Dolly Parton’s longevity was a phenomenon and her reach was immense, from people struggling day-to-day to royalty. In the UK on the day after she died King Charles’ Guard played 9 to 5 outside Buckingham Palace. The normally tight-lipped Royal Family wasmoved to declare on social media: “Remembering the late, great Dolly, who brought joy, comfort and inspiration to so many — including the millions of children given free books through her Imagination Library. We will always love you.” 

Dolly was a natural entertainer who has left us with an amazing catalogue of songs and, just for good measure, valuable marketing lessons too. She built a legacy that shows an image can be manufactured but that true authenticity – perhaps the most important characteristic of all – cannot. There was something else she possessed. The X-factor.