Graduation Year

2020

Document Type

Honors Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Business Studies

Program or Major

Marketing

Faculty Advisor

Cary

Second Faculty Advisor

LeBlanc

Abstract

This research paper stands to prove that celebrities are no longer simply revered only for their talents or skill but have begun to outgrow the natural fame that comes with the skill, and/or have become famous for really no apparent or tangible reason at all, or possibly that there is now a new definition of celebrity. Their fame has worked in a cycle, famous for being famous. I will set out to prove the following: they continue their fame through the efforts of clever marketing. They use new or improved marketing tactics to further build their personal brands, create connections with fans, and continue to sustain their fame. They seem to use social media as the main medium, along with endorsement tactics for their own brand and brand extensions. They also use their social media in a unique way that allows them to create connections with their audiences in a way that most firms have not begun to think about. Celebrities work on building their own brands using marketing and fame hand-in-hand. Is this a new type of fame? How does their fame affect or work with their marketing efforts? How does social media affect this phenomenon? It is important to understand what celebrities, and the firms they create are doing, so that other firms can utilize the effective techniques to market their products. It is clear that this kind of promotion is an emerging trend, so it is important to fully understand it in order to apply it to other products and brands. This research is relevant because it examines a casual and less serious pop culture phenomenon such as Kim, and asks a pressing question: why is she famous? This paper will delve into a more scholarly explanation behind a cultural trend and explain how other companies can benefit from these lessons on the branding of fame.

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