The ‘RiRi Effect’: Rihanna’s Star Power Can Sell Just About Anything

Rihanna’s ability to drive sales is undeniable. I often say you could release photos of her in a burlap potato sack dress today and the bags would be sold out across the country tomorrow. Seriously.

Her BFF’s new line Free Spirits lipstick sold out minutes after Rihanna posted her purple pout from Coachella on Instagram.

Her MAC RiRi Woo lipstick sold out in three hours after going on sale in 2013. Last October, her Rogue Man cologne sold out in minutes. She even made history as the youngest performer to sell out the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg. And just last month, her upcoming Rock In Rio concert sold out 85,000 tickets in less than an hour.

And top beauty and fashion magazines are capitalizing on the “RiRi effect”, calling on the bad gal for more than her breathtaking beauty and fashion savvy. She’s now rescuing sales.

Have you noticed just how many covers the Bajan beauty has graced this year, despite not having released a full album in years? (Yes, R8 is right around the corner). We counted seven in the past five months, and that doesn’t even take into account her campaigns for giants like Dior and MAC Viva Glam.

But can you blame them?

According to WWD, her appearance on the March 2015 cover of Harper’s Bazaar boosted the magazine’s sales by .8 percent, increasing newsstand sales to 120,000 copies and making it the highest selling magazine for the month. Her March 2014 cover on Vogue even outsold this year’s cover by 11.2 percent, which featured platinum-selling artist Taylor Swift.

And her star power isn’t just selling, it’s bringing brand awareness. Rihanna’s recent Dior campaign nearly broke the internet and online blogs and magazines (including Hype Hair) are guilty of happily covering just about every changeup, color, cut and fashion do or don’t the style chameleon drops on Instagram.

More power to you Rihanna. B*tch better have your money.