Rachael Ray: Cooking Up a Brand

Rachael Ray built a remarkable career and brand, first as a cooking personality, and then as a lifestyle maven. This case explores her early career, decisions taken along the way, and the successes she achieved in publishing, television and as a spokesperson. As her career matured, the case follows the choices she made and charts the opportunities a brand personality such as Ray faces in reinventing themselves authentically over time. It provides students with insights into managing a career over the span of life events; the ways a narrative arc helps anchor an individual’s story, and may need to be actively managed over time; and the tradeoffs at play in managing such a narrative.