When you think of celebrity
“crisis” events you might think of Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, or more recently
Beyonce and Jay Z. How are these celebrities’crisis teams performing? Perhaps
the question should be are they doing anything? After looking more into crisis
management for celebrities I’ve realized that much of what you think would be a
panicked attempt to cover up stuff, are actually fabricated marketing ploys. An
exception to that is Justin; he’s actually a complete train wreck. But as far
as Beyonce, Jay Z and Miley some people say their “problems” in the media have
generated more good than bad. And as Miley has publically shared before, all
press is good press.
It’s not hard to see Miley
Cyrus has come a long way since her Hannah Montana days. And while much of what
she does is a bit risky and outrageous, is it a marketing strategy? Miley’s original
brand was with Hannah Montana and Disney. In order to break this she let her
bad girl shine through and completely destroyed any trace of Hannah. So while
at first glance you may think that her camp was diffusing bombs left and right,
they were probably sitting back hoping it would work. This is not always true
though, in the To See and Be Seen:
Celebrity Practice on Twitter by Alice Marwick and Danah Boyd we see that
the Internet has a huge impact on celebrities. This includes their feuds and
“authentic moments” where they might not be behaving their best. The article
mentions that Miley was feuding with Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato after posting
a parody mocking them. We learned that “Cyrus,
Lovato, and Gomez have publicly denied a feud and were photographed in late
2008 having dinner, presumably a staged event as damage control to counteract
fallout from the rumors”(Marwick). While much of what we perceive as Miley trying
to break her Disney image there are also instances of her going over the line.
One of these times is when she “bullied” Snead O’Connor. In the clip below you
can see the fallout occur. The question becomes how much of this is part of a
marketing plan or how much is actual bad behavior? Should her team be doing more
to save her image, or do they like the bad girl, care free Miley? If her
attempt is to wipe any existence of Hannah Montana away, I think she’s
succeeded ten fold, and even crossed the line to raunchy and disrespectful.
One couple that teeters
between crisis and marketing strategy is Beyonce and Jay Z. Mentioned in a
Billboard article by Joe Lynch, celebrity publicist Jonathan Hay shares, “Always consider the timing in these
situations” Hays says. “That staged
elevator fight hit the news immediately before the release of their On The Run
tour trailer video. The fight gives regular news stations –beyond just entertainment
news—a headline, which broadens their audience” (Lynch). On the other end of this Jordan Sargent, a
Gawker staff writer shared that she believed this was not suppose to happen and
it was the first time they experienced a media controversy that they hadn’t
controlled. Jay Z got the brunt of this media – and it wasn't positive (Lynch).
If it was a crisis, the response could partially be the Instagram picture we see
in the Huffington Post article making number 8 on the list of Instagram moments
(Marcus). I think Beyonce has done a good job of diffusing rumors with her Mrs.
Carter tour and multiple photos and sightings as a family.
Another celebrity I think we
can all agree needs an awesome crisis management team is Justin Bieber. There
is no doubt his issues aren’t planned marketing ploys, just bad behavior. As we
see in the article Biebs Behaving Badly he
has made many bad decisions that have caused bad press and resulted in him losing
fans. He got a DUI, spit on a neighbor, assaulted a limo driver, and had his
body guards carry him up the Great Wall of China to name a few (Biebs Behaving
Badly). However, his recent efforts to revamp his image have not gone unnoticed
by the media. In a BBC article it explains that Justin stated ““I didn't know what I was getting myself
into," he said about being discovered by Usher at the age of 14. “There were
moments I am proud of. And there are moments I am disappointed with myself for.
But the things I have done, don't define who I am. I am a kind-hearted person
who loves people. And through it all, I have lost some of my best qualities.
For that, I'm sorry. I am looking forward to being someone you can all be proud
of””(BBC). Do you think these apologies will help him? And do you think he can
salvage his image? While some may be skeptical and refuse to like him at least
they can enjoy the upcoming Comedy Central Roast where celebrities such as
Kevin Hart, Snoop Dogg, Ludacris, Will Ferrell and Martha Stewart (to name
some) get to throw their digs (BBC). I think that his efforts will pay off and
some people will forgive his misbehavior. Also now that he’s working on music
again fans will be eager to accept his apology and take a listen.
Works Cited
"Biebs
Behaving Badly." Entertainment Weekly 21
Feb. 2014: 14.
"Justin Bieber Says
Sorry for Tabloid Headlines after Comedy Central Roast." BBC News. BBC, 15
Mar. 2015. Web. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/31896345>.
Lynch, Joe.
"Jay Z, Beyonce and the Rumor Mill: Who's Pulling the Strings?"
Billboard. N.p., 5 Aug. 2014. Web.
<http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/the-juice/6207049/jay-z-beyonce-on-the-run-tour-rumors-media>.
Marcus,
Stephanie. "Top Celebrity Moments of 2014, According to
Instagram." The Huffington Post. 16 Dec.
2014. Web.
Marwick, Alice and
Danah Boyd, “To See and Be Seen: Celebrity Practice on Twitter,” Convergence 17.2
(2011): 139 – 158.
"Miley Cyrus Evolution:
Good Girl Gone Bad Or Marketing Genius?" YouTube. Latest Breaking News,
n.d. Web. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWW_Y5JHTnc>.
There has been a lot of change in celebrity behavior seen throughout the media, and some celebrities are well known for their outrageous behavior compared to others. I agree with Danielle that celebrity crisis is questionable and seems to be more of a marketing ploy rather than an actual identity crisis, minus a few exceptions like Justin Bieber. Some celebrities market themselves in a good way by becoming close with their fans and interacting with them on social media and in person. Going off of what we talked about in class Thursday, Taylor Swift is one example where she does a lot for her fans and really puts herself out there in a positive way. Before her 1989 album was released, she surprised a bunch of her closest fans from different cities and invited them to come to her house for a gathering. Little did they know, they were actually going to meet Taylor Swift in person and get to hear all her new songs from her album. She also helped one of her fans pay off their student loans. Other celebrities might market themselves by donating to charity or doing service work. One example is the celebrity couple Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. They both have donated to a lot of charities, and they even have their own foundation called the Jolie-Pitt Foundation where they donate money to humanitarian countries.
ReplyDeleteToday, most celebrities have personal accounts on social media to market off what they are currently working on and to also interact with their fans. They use the Internet as a form of self-production by marketing themselves and what they do during their everyday lives online. What better way is there to act as your own PR agent? Information displayed on social media can blow up in seconds. This form of self-production is the “very core of celebrity activity” and it “serves as a rubric and template for organization and production of the on-line self” (Marshall 430). Miley Cyrus is one good example of a celebrity that has used social media and the press overall to completely flip her image around. I remember when she started off as Hannah Montana on Disney Channel. She looked normal and innocent, and she was someone that younger girls began to look up to and envy. Now she is the complete opposite. Miley Cyrus portrays herself as a rebel who is carefree more than ever. I always see her posting up pictures on Instagram that portray the bad girl she wants to be seen as. She used the media to completely transform her image and destroy the Hannah Montana stereotype that everyone viewed her as.
Justin Bieber is another one behaving badly, but I agree with Danielle that it is more bad behavior than a marketing ploy. He was charged with a DUI while drag racing a yellow Lamborghini, serenaded his grandma naked, and caused $20,000 worth of damage to one of his neighbor’s houses by egging it (“Biebs Behaving Badly” 1). I remember when Justin Bieber first became famous, and all of his girl fans were crazy about him. Now he is known for badly acting out and committing these terrible acts. It seems like just recently though that he is trying to clean up his act and turn his image back around. He made an appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres Show where he tried to explain the reasons for his actions and apologized for all of it. This was his first television appearance in a long time, and “he admitted on Facebook he was feeling “really nervous” about how he would be perceived” (Blistein 1). I think starting off with an apology is just the beginning for Justin Bieber and only time will tell if he will make a full recovery from his bad image.
Works Cited
"Biebs Behaving Badly." Entertainment Weekly 21 Feb. 2014: 14.
Blistein, Jon, "Justin Bieber Apologizes: 'I'm Not Who I Was Pretending to Be.'" Rolling Stone. 29 Jan. 2015. Web.
P. David Marshall, “The Promotion and Presentation of Self: Celebrity as Marker of
Presentational Media,” in The Media Studies Reader, Laurie Ouelette, ed. (New York: Routledge, 2012), 427 - 438.
I found it interesting that you think that Bieber’s Comedy Central roast will help his image. As soon as it was announced I thought it was an extremely thinly vialed attempt to improve his public image. I’m not the only one in fact of the “roasters” comedian, Hannibal Buress said, "They say that you roast the ones you love, but I don't like you at all, man. I'm just here because it's a real good opportunity for me. Actually, you should thank me for participating in this extremely transparent attempt to be more likable in the public eye. And I hope it doesn't work." (Wiegle)
ReplyDeleteBuress really hit the nail on the head with this remark. It’s well known that being able to laugh at yourself makes you more likeable in the public eye and many celebrities from Charlie Sheen to Donald Trump have used the Comedy Central roast as a tool to improve their image. But by now I think the trick is over. It has now reached the point where the strategy is being mocked rather than the person. I think Biebers team should have been more creative when looking for ways to improve his image.
I think fame has reached Bieber too early and understandably it’s going to be hard for him to change his self-centered ways. What really put me over the edge on Bieber was when he visited the Ann Frank museum and the most poignant thing he could come up with to say to his thousands of fans was that he hoped she would have been a belieber. (Biebs Behaving Badly) I think the new strategy of shedding his bad boy image which he talked about on Ellen might help. (Blistein) It has worked in the past for example look at Robert Downey Jr. Who was arrested several times for drug possession from 1996 to 2001, he even spent a year in California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison in Corcoran, California. (Tresniowski) Downey eventually made a highly successful comeback, staring in several blockbuster hits and recently war part of a project where he gave a crippled boy an ironman prosthetic arm. (Wagstaff) It is possible to change your image through good work I think Bieber should go back to focusing on music.
Works Cited
Wiegle, Lauren. "Justin Bieber Roast on Comedy Central: Top 10 Best Jokes & Insults." Heavy.com. N.p., 30 Mar. 2015. Web. 30 Mar. 2015.
"Biebs Behaving Badly." Entertainment Weekly 21 Feb. 2014: 14
Blistein, Jon, "Justin Bieber Apologizes: 'I'm Not Who I Was Pretending to Be.'" Rolling Stone. 29 Jan. 2015. Web.
Tresniowski, Alex. "Bad to Worse." People.com. N.p., 18 Dec. 2000. Web. 30 Mar. 2015.
Wagstaff, Keith. "Robert Downey Jr. Gives Boy 'Iron Man' Prosthetic Arm."TODAY. N.p., 12 Mar. 2015. Web. 30 Mar. 2015.
Megan Maher
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I would like to say thank you for stating that Justin Bieber is a complete train wreck. To answer your question, I don’t necessarily think that the apologies will help him, especially if he continues to show bad behavior. I also think that his fans that were once tweens are now growing up and some are not tolerating his behavior. The article “Biebs Behaving Badly” shows just how much trouble he’s gotten into over the past few years. Personally I don’t think people should forgive him just because he’s rich and famous. If anyone else had done some of the things he did, like drag racing or smoking weed, they would probably face a lot more jail time or charges than Bieber did (Biebs Behaving Badly).
As for other celebrities, like Danielle said, are probably behaving the way they do to gain more popularity. While some celebrities like Princess Diana were at the mercy of the paparazzi, others use the overwhelming presence of the paparazzi for their own purpose (Marshall). It’s like when Marshall comments on the animosity of how celebrity lives are captured, “… collectively, we disdain the public focus on celebrity at the same time as we continue to watch, discuss and participate and thereby ensure the maintenance of a celebrity industry” (Marshall). Even so, many of the celebrities that Danielle mentions in her blog are musicians and therefore don’t make all of their money from their music. Personally I think that many times famous musicians like Miley Cyrus or Demi Lovato use the paparazzi to their advantage while actors and actresses can make money from their movies and live without the attention of the paparazzi.
But that comes at a price. Many celebrities, especially those with children no longer want to be followed around by aggressive paparazzi (McGreevy). Just recently California signed a bill that upped the previous law with, “The new penalty for harassment of children by photographers or video camera operators is up to one year in jail and a possible fine of $10,000” (McGreevy). While this new law seems like a breech in the freedom of “speech expression” for the news agencies that make a living off of these photos, I definitely think it’s a good thing especially since the paparazzi are becoming increasingly hostile (McGreevy).
Although the argument can be made that these celebrities chose their lives and should therefore live with that choice, it doesn’t mean they should be harassed the way they are today. I recently saw a video of Selena Gomez leaving a fashion show and she was completely mobbed enough so that even her huge bodyguards were having a hard time getting through the crowd. Celebrities may make their money off of being in the news but that can sometimes be a double-edged sword. While they may want privacy at times, having their name in the news gives what ever movie, album, or show more publicity than just commercials or billboards.
Works Cited
"Biebs Behaving Badly." Print.
Marshall, P. David. "The Promotion and Presentation of the Self." The Media Studies Reader (2012): 427-38. Print.
McGreevy, Patrick. "Gov. Jerry Brown Signs Law Protecting Children of Public Figures." Los Angeles Times 24 Sept. 2013. Web. 31 Mar. 2015.
Once exposed to fame, celebrities face the benefits and hardships of becoming a superstar. They are no longer restricted by “normal” rules of behavior and are now empowered by lucrative financial contracts. Unfortunately, the majority of these newly famous celebrities have no experience in managing their personal finances, especially since many have significantly increased their personal wealth. There seems to be a common trend with former childhood stars getting into trouble while trying to still make a name for themselves. From either falling from the pressures of becoming famous or trying to break away from the old childhood image their fans remember, , these celebrities create a lot of drama within the entertainment industry. As it seems to become a common trend in the news, the real question is are these celebrities actually having a crisis or is a just a huge marketing ploy?
ReplyDeleteMiley Cyrus is great example of a childhood actress who has significantly changed her image and has received a lot of controversy in the media. Once a beloved Disney Channel actress on the show, Hannah Montana, Cyrus now transformed her image in a complete 180 degree direction. She is now a mature (?) adult, present in rap music videos, performing at the MTV Music Awards doing inappropriate gestures while dancing, and being viewed in the eyes of her audience as “wild child”. While it may seem to many people that she has gone crazy, I believe her entire act is a huge marketing ploy. What better way to reinvent yourself for the lucrative young adult music market than to dramatically shed the Disney Hannah Montana personality and reemerge as the next Lady Gaga? Her plan is apparently working; according to Forbes’ list of The World’s Most Powerful Celebrities for 2014, Cyrus ranked #17 overall, beating out Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga and Kanye West (Forbes).
Justin Bieber, on the other hand, is an example of a former childhood star who has hit a crisis. I agree with Abby that Bieber has become an absolute train wreck. An Entertainment Weekly article described Justin Bieber’s track record on behaving badly. The examples include him assaulting his own body guard, spitting on his neighbor who had complained about his driving, being charged with allegedly assaulting a limo driver, being busted with a DUI while drag racing a yellow Lamborghini, and much more (Entertainment Weekly). As Bieber may have originally wanted to break away from his childhood image, his troubles with the law have become a major problem. While he ranks #33 on the 2014 Forbes list, he was #3 in 2011 (Forbes.com). However, other young celebrities have successfully leveraged illegal activity into financial gain. Robert Downey Jr., with countless past legal and personal issues, has rebounded as one of today’s most popular stars, ranking # 10 on the Forbes list (Forbes.com).
ReplyDeleteA main reason why many celebrities have increased their awareness and popularity is because of the advancement of technologies and the rise of social media. According to an article posted by the Huffington Post, many celebrities use sites like Instagram to connect with their fans about major news and events that concern them. For example, Alicia Keys announced on her Instagram account that she was pregnant by posting a photo of herself and her husband with the caption “We’ve been blessed with another angel on the way!” (Marcus). Celebrities like Amanda Bynes have used social media sites to express herself, for both the good and the bad. Once a childhood Nickelodeon star, she rose to public prominence for her legal and psychiatric troubles, which have been heavily covered by public media. Most recently, Bynes has used her Twitter page as source of her communicating with her fan base. From tweeting about Christmas shopping to posting very inappropriate messages about sex and other celebrities, it seems obvious that Ms. Bynes is capitalizing on social media to make sure she stays in the public eye (Twitter). While it seems clear that she has gained significant publicity from being active on social media, the question remains if it is for the right reason. From her perspective, if she ever makes the Forbes list, perhaps it is.
ReplyDeleteSources:
ReplyDelete"Amanda Bynes." Twitter. Web. 30 Mar. 2015. https://twitter.com/amandabynes.
"Biebs Behaving Badly." Entertainment Weekly 21 Feb. 2014: 14.
Marcus, Stephanie. "Top Celebrity Moments of 2014, According to Instagram." The Huffington Post. 16 Dec. 2014. Web.
"The World’s Most Powerful Celebrities." Forbes. Forbes Magazine. Web. 30 Mar. 2015. http://www.forbes.com/celebrities/list/#tab:overall.
Celebrities are constantly in the spotlight. Typically, when celebrities are in need of a change and want to reinvent themselves, nothing brings them back into the light than a huge crisis event. I absolutely agree with Danielle in the idea that most of these crises are just a marketing ploy. Since their lives are constantly being bombarded by paparazzi, it only makes sense to have some type of crisis occur to bring them back into the spotlight. Celebrities will do anything for money, and they are smart enough to know that whatever they do, good or bad will be reported.
ReplyDeleteAccording to a Hollywood Reporter article titled 10 Top Entertainment Moments in Twitter History, “In the nine years since Twitter was founded, the social networking platform has become a go-to place for breaking news, political protests and conversations about must-see TV.” Twitter is the perfect outlet for a marketing stunt since however a celebrity acts will go viral almost instantly. Self-promotion is huge for celebrities because they are ensured to have many followers. Once news about them hits twitter, people begin to converse about it, and than it starts to trend. It’s a newer movement that allows easier access in performing a marketing ploy.
Miley Cyrus is the perfect example of a marketing ploy. Her image took a complete 180 in the matter of a few years by totally diminishing the start of her career and former personality. Miley Cyrus and her team have been absolutely genius. I believe her marketing strategies lead to a huge success. Yes, some people are horrified by her actions, but majority of her fans absolutely LOVE her. She completely achieved what she wanted since no one thinks of her as Hannah Montana anymore. Instead, she is a crazy, carefree, twerking artist. This is why she gets away with absolutely anything. Nothing she does is ever surprising because she strategically marketed herself this way.
On the other hand, the way Justin Bieber has acted does not to seem to be a marketing ploy whatsoever. Danielle mentions that “He got a DUI, spit on a neighbor, assaulted a limo driver, and had his body guards carry him up the Great Wall of China to name a few (Biebs Behaving Badly)” Those actions were entirely bad behavior. What Justin had to say about it only makes sense. According to a Rolling Stone article, "Often we pretend to be something we’re not as a cover up of what we’re truly feeling inside," Bieber continued. "And there was a lot of feelings going on in there. Just being young and growing up in this business is hard. Just growing up in general is hard." Justin Bieber is still a teenager and people seem to forget that. It must be extremely hard for him to live the life he does constantly being in the spotlight. His bad behavior completely backfired on him in the result of losing fans. So unlike Miley Cyrus, Bieber has a lot of apologizing to do.
Works Cited
"10 Top Entertainment Moments in Twitter History." The Hollywood Reporter. 20 March 2015. Web.
Blistein, Jon, "Justin Bieber Apologizes: 'I'm Not Who I Was Pretending to Be.'" Rolling Stone. 29 Jan. 2015. Web.
Kirsten James
ReplyDeleteI can definitely agree that certain celebrities pull different stunts to gain more media exposure. Miley Cyrus is a perfect example of this. While her outfits, music videos and live performances were outrageous and a very drastic jump from Hannah Montana, her name was constantly in the news. Whether someone was saying something bad about her, or something good, they were still talking about her. Miley Cyrus made some people uncomfortable with her antics, and even lost some fans, but became way more popular because of it. I would say she almost had to do it in order to break away from the image that the Disney Channel gave her. I can’t imagine Miley being as popular now if she had stayed on the same track she was on during her Hannah Montana days. I think these kinds of stunts are both a good and bad way about getting exposure. While publicity stunts ultimately always reach their goal, which is to gain attention from the public, I think there’s a limit on when an incident is too negative and defeats its purpose. An example of this, in my opinion, would be the Beyoncé and Jay-Z example that Danielle gave.
I’m honestly still on the fence about whether this was just a publicity stunt or a real life event. On one hand, as Danielle mentioned in her post, the incident happened right before their On The Run Tour which is very convenient timing considering they were literally being talked about everywhere. However, we are talking about Beyoncé and Jay-z, who are probably a couple of the most private celebrities, and for them to plan an incident such as this—which did not portray anyone in a good light—does not really add up to me, especially because they became a mockery (particularly on social media) and their tour actually had trouble selling out certain venues. Not to mention that Beyoncé and Jay-Z are not exactly two celebrities that really need any extra publicity stunts to help them sell out stadiums or records, they have done that perfectly fine in the past without it like in the case of Beyoncé’s surprise album, which didn’t have any publicity. “Titled simply Beyoncé, the album hit iTunes with barely any publicity and was billed as a “visual album” because there was already a music video for each of the 14 songs. The single “Drunk in Love” has gone platinum, selling more than 1 million copies” (Beyoncé Knowles Tops The Forbes Celebrity 100 List). So in this case, if this was a publicity stunt, I do not think it was helpful in anyway.
Justin Bieber is definitely a celebrity who has not benefited from any of his stunts and surely falls under the ‘crisis’ category. I personally remember him being talked about a lot during the time of his DUI, not so much because of the actual DUI but because of his fans reaction. Justin gained even more negative press when it started to become apparent that his fans were posting things such as “free Justin.” Many media outlets targeted Justin as a negative influence because he was encouraging fans to support his bad habits, and ultimately support driving under the influence. Often celebrities, like Justin, think that making apology statements will gain them the acceptance of the public—that is, until they make another stunt. “…Bieber [insisted] he no longer wanted to be the kind of person who doesn't care about anything or anyone” (Blistein) but it is only deemed genuine if his actions follow which in most cases they have not. I do not see Justin getting any rise in record sales or anything if he continues down this path because it is evident (especially with Chris Brown) that people are tired of the ‘bad boy celebrity.’
Works Cited
"Beyoncé Knowles Tops The Forbes Celebrity 100 List." Forbes. 30 June 2014. Web.
Blistein, Jon, "Justin Bieber Apologizes: 'I'm Not Who I Was Pretending to Be.'" Rolling Stone. 29 Jan. 2015. Web.
When I see a celebrity having a ‘crisis’ in the media I generally think that it is a publicity stunt or marketing ploy. I think the saying is goes, “any publicity is good publicity” that’s what I believe celebrity publicist live by. Basically, as long as people are talking about you, then you’re going to stay famous because you’re still relevant to them. There are a few celebrities that have even admitted to doing these obnoxious things just so that it will be talked about. Miley Cyrus is the perfect example of this; recently, she has done a few questionable acts at concerts and award shows, or even just on social media to gain more publicity. Some say she’s acting out or being senseless because of her age, but she admitted in an interview on MTV that it is all deliberate. For example, at the 2013 VMA’s Miley twerked and ran around provocatively for the whole world to see. Most people were disgusted and just felt strange about the entire performance. However, in an interview where she talked about the performance to MTV, James Montgomery, wrote, “Cyrus had one goal in mind when she agreed to perform: to give folks something to talk about… not just now, but for years to come” (Montgomery). During the interview Miley just kept saying that she was trying to make history and make sure people are still talking about it years later. I definitely think she and her publicity team thought up the entire performance, so that people couldn’t help but talk about it. Obviously it stole the show and Miley got what she had planned for, people didn’t stop talking about it for weeks.
ReplyDeleteThe other celebrity who has definitely created ‘media crisis’ for his publicity team is Justin Bieber. I agree with Danielle that Bieber needs an awesome crisis management team for all the antics he has done in the past few years. Jon Blistein wrote about Bieber in Rolling Stone, “The past few years have been rocky for the pop star, who was caught doing everything from underage drinking and drag racing to egging his neighbor's house and peeing in a restaurant mop bucket. He also abandoned a monkey in Germany” (Blistein). Most of this behaviors are unnecessary and just show a great amount of immaturity on Bieber’s end. However, I think the direction he is going now with the apology and Roast on Comedy Central are great for his marketing ploys. I don’t think that the entire world is going to forgive him for all the dumb things he has done but I do think most people will forgive him. Justin is stepping up and being a man about all the idiotic things he has done in the past and is looking for all of the media and his fans forgive him. He even sat down on the Ellen DeGeneres Show, to tell her, "[O]ften we pretend to be something we’re not as a cover up of what we’re truly feeling inside," Bieber continued. "And there was a lot of feelings going on in there. Just being young and growing up in this business is hard. Just growing up in general is hard" (Blistein). Justin is still a young kid and trying to manage everything about being famous and young has proven to be a challenge for him. I do think that he has the chance now to turn things around for the better and hopefully his crisis management team won’t have to do anymore damage control with Justin Bieber anymore.
Work Cited
"Biebs Behaving Badly." Entertainment Weekly 21 Feb. 2014: 14.
Blistein, Jon, "Justin Bieber Apologizes: 'I'm Not Who I Was Pretending to Be.'" Rolling Stone. 29 Jan. 2015. Web.
Montgomery, James. "Exclusive: Miley Cyrus Breaks Silence Over VMA Performance." News. N.p., 3 Aug. 2013. Web. 30 Mar. 2015.
I would definitely agree with Danielle that Justin Bieber needs a crisis management team for the ages. He seems to be just one big news disaster after another, and his entourage could learn something from other celebs' ability to have their teams manage their image. He could be making even more money than he already does, if his public image was a little more positive. One celeb who is great at marketing her image is Beyonce, who holds the number 1 spot on the Forbes list of top 100 celebrities. According to Forbes, over the 95 shows she played on her most recent tour, she raked in about $2.4 million each show.
ReplyDeleteShe really does run the world, in entertainment, and also in her miniature business empire. She has millions of followers on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, and a surplus of other Internet sites. Through these social media, she makes a lot of revenue off of her brand tie ins, like Pepsi and H&M. Beyonce, like her husband Jay-Z, is a music and business mogul, and always looks to improve on her revenue streams. Jay-Z just launched his streaming service called Aspiro in the United States, so their empires just continue to grow and flourish through revenue streams other than their music output.
This is due in part to the booming business that is social media. People follow their favorite artists and celebrities on Instagram and Twitter, and this is a great way for celebrities like Beyonce to promote her image and to also cross promote Pepsi's image and H&M's image. This codependent relationship is extremely profitable for both sides, because when B's millions of followers see that she is affiliated with these brands, the fans are far more likely to purchase said brands. According to Qscores.com, "Celebrity endorsements can have a significant impact on increasing consumer awareness and purchase intentions for virtually every product category," solidifying the view that these celebrities do have a strong influence on what people buy.
Works Cited
Pomerantz, Dorothy. "Beyoncé Knowles Tops The Forbes Celebrity 100 List." Forbes. 30 June 2014. Web.
Schafer, Henry. "The Value of Celebrity Endorsements." Q Scores Blog. 27 Jan. 2014. Web. 31 Mar. 2015
I agree with you that the Bieber Roast will help his image. In this day in age I see any publicity as good publicity for there celebrities. And even though a roast isn’t technically bad publicity I think it’s a good way for him to boost his image and popularity especially because of all his recent faux pas and on goings. These train wreck celebrities that you mention all seem to fallow the same path. Make their way to the top and the plummet in some asinine action that gets them plastered all over the tabloids. But as I said before there isn’t a such thing as bad publicity this day in age. One example that I think fits this description and would fit great into your idea of celebrity crisis or marketing ploy would be Lindsey Lohan. She used bad publicity and poor decisions to be part of a commercial that commented on these life actions and it benefited her.
ReplyDeleteBut I think a major part of these celebrity shortcomings and mistakes are seen because of the new wave of social media. An article in the Hollywood Reporter states, “In the nine years since Twitter was founded, the social networking platform has become a go-to place for breaking news, political protests and conversations about must-see TV.” I think that because of this it gives us an even bigger view into these stars lives. And since they are so public we can now put them under a microscope and see every mistake they made that wouldn’t necessarily be brought out. I also see twitter as a huge self-promoter for these celebrities. Any thing they do has the opportunity to go viral at any moment. Twitter is in my opinion the best tools for celebrities to mess up, clean that mess up, and then become famous again all in three tweets. I think this is huge for their self marketing.
I see Miley Cyrus as a complete genius for what she did with self marketing. She went from the good girl Disney sweet heart to a sex crazed maniac in just a few years. But this was a hundred percent to here advantage. I don’t see her being as sucsessful as she is now if she didn’t make the drastic change. The Americas sweet heart thing seems to run out quick and you end up in the gutter like the Olsen twins or Lohan. But Cyrus used this crazy transformation to her advantage boosting her self and rising even farther into stardom. I think Hana Montana would be horrified to see the metamorphosis but wouldn’t min rolling in the piles of cash that Miely now make because of here choices.
I think another great example of a “celebrity” using bad publicity to their advantage would be every ones favorite lady Kim Kardashian. Her whole career is based off of a mistake and because of that mistake she self-promoted her self into what some would call “ super star” status. But all in all I see these stars using their crisis management to there advantage for marketing and we will see even more of this in the future.
Works Cited
"10 Top Entertainment Moments in Twitter History." The Hollywood Reporter. 20 March 2015. Web.
As the saying going “any press is good press” applies now more than ever to the celebrity culture we live in today. Especially with the usage and popularity of multiple social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, combing with many sites that strictly focus on celebrities such as BuzzFeed, TMZ and Entertainment News the competition to stay relevant is fierce. The 15 seconds of limelight is now a mere 10 seconds until the next crazy thing explodes on social media. The celebrities that are still relevant aren’t necessarily the ones making great music or producing great movies but are the ones who’s lives are most interesting and more often than not interesting is usually synonymous with getting in trouble.
ReplyDeleteJustin Bieber is prime example of staying on top by getting into trouble. Bieber has not put out an album in roughly three years but yet he is on more magazine covers and the talk of many Twitter conversations than any other celebrity. Bieber has even capitalized on his antics and bad press by voluntarily deciding to be the target of Comedy Central Roast as show that brutally tears apart all the main person being “roasted” as well as all the participants picked to “roast” the guest of honor, in this case Justin Bieber. This move by Bieber to take part of this roast is an excellent PR move in many ways. One, the show is already so popular, add in an extremely high profile cast to judge and make fun of you, who wouldn’t watch it. The participants of The Roast included Martha Stewart, Ludacris, Snoop Dogg, Will Ferrell and many famous comedies. This line up attracts audiences outside of Bieber’s normal demographic of fans. The celebrities roasting him are ultimately in a sense endorsing him by showing him love at the end of their skit. This endorsement of Bieber from opinion leaders will help his popularity with consumers.
Two, being on the show gave Bieber an opportunity to own up to what his did and apologize to his fans for his actions in promise for a better future for his fans. Bieber gave a heart-warming apology that even warmed my heart and brought some tears to my pragmatic, cold-hearted roommate. Bieber further capitalized on his antics by appearing on The Ellen DeGeneres to talk about his roast and the heartfelt apologies. US Weekly notes “Bieber went on to attribute his wild behavior to his early rise to fame, telling DeGeneres that he wasn't prepared for the spotlight as a young teenager” (Boardman), a very reasonable, human and understandable explanation for his wild behavior.
Among many other articles written about him, Rolling Stone made a little note of Bieber’s roast as well titling the write up Justin Bieber Apologies” I’m Not Who I was Pretending to Be. This write up was pretty similar to the on in US Weekly where they both made note of Bieber’s appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and his apology. In Rolling Stone Jon Blistein make note of Bieber’s comment of the importance to laugh at yourself, “I think it’s cool to laugh at yourself – I’ve done some things that might not have been the greatest” (Blistein), another comment that makes Bieber likable and more appealing.
Although without a doubt, Bieber has made huge mistakes with his life but those antics and mistakes of his is what is keeping him popular and relevant. His PR managers should be commended for the work they have done with him because his 15 seconds of limelight doesn’t look like it will be dimming anytime soon.
Works Cited
Blistein, Jon. “Justin Bieber Apologizes: ‘I’m Not Who I Was Pretending to Be’”. Rolling Stone. 29 Jan. 2015. Web. 31 Mar. 2015.
Boardman, Madeline. “Justin Bieber Talks Scathing Comedy Central Roast, Cozies Up to Madonna on Ellen Show: Watch”. US Weekly. 18 Mar. 2015. Web. 31 Mar. 2015
As we discussed last week in class about the state of the modern music industry, personal branding is essential for artists. We saw that many performers such as Justin Timberlake and Taylor Swift have marketed themselves to be more appealing to their fan bases. Music is a highly competitive industry and because of how difficult it is today to turn a profit on record, artists cannot solely rely on their music; they also have to sell their personalities.
ReplyDeleteCelebrity branding and marketing extends beyond just trying to sell music or films; celebrities also have invested interest in marketing themselves to the public. Depending on what a celebrity curtails their image to be can be very important in whatever endeavors they choose to be a part of. However, today celebrities benefit from being able to frame their image more so ever before. I would argue that technology has possibly made the world more transparent, however, it also stands to benefit celebrities who can use it to their benefit.
I would argue that the rise of social media has been instrumental for celebrities in marketing and branding themselves in ways which were previously not possible. Rather than image being created in tabloid news stories or from performances in music and on screen, celebrities can now utilize social media in order to display the image they would prefer the world to see. However, I would argue that this goes beyond simply what the celebrity would like their image to be for personal reasons but rather that it also very important for branding their work and for selling movies, music and other entertainment. As Markovitz points out social media has become important for promotion purposes: “But they do point to a complicated relationship between movie stars and social media — one that is increasingly critical now that actors' accounts on services like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook have become key parts of the publicity machine”
Now more than ever before celebrities also have a multitude of outlets for them to market themselves, namely social media. Much like how the Secret Sessions and the Target audition commercials positively reinforced the idea of how Taylor Swift and Justin Timberlake love to interact with their fans, Twitter is also capable of creating a type of intimacy between celebrity and follower. Marwick and Boyd state in their study on celebrity practice on Twitter: “Celebrity practitioners reveal what appears to be personal information to create a sense of intimacy between participant and follower, publicly acknowledge fans, and use language and cultural references to create affiliations with followers.”
The question however, as posed in Danielle’s blog, is to what extent are these interactions genuine or real? Are the celebrities in question actually taking to social media to interact with fans or are they merely a façade of fabricated posts designed to create an image or brand for the celebrity? This can be difficult to determine and marketers and celebrities can be very coy in creating scenarios and public events which seem organic but are very structured and designed to advance a certain goal. I would agree with some the sentiments in the post that suggest Miley’s transformation was a marketing ploy since it has many of the characteristics of a rebrand. In order to differentiate herself from the Disney product, Cyrus needed to do a complete overhaul on her image. It may have created a lot of disdain associated with her, however, it was clear that she was no longer the Disney star she grew up as.
References
Boyd, D., & Marwik, A. (2011, May 19). To See and Be Seen: Celebrity Practice on Twitter. Retrieved March 31, 2015.
Markovitz, A. (2012, December 7). Hollywood's Twitter Jitters. Retrieved March 31, 2015.