The Celebrity as a Commodity
Hurst introduced the idea of a commodity in the text readings. By definition, a commodity is something that is of use, advantage, or value. More directly, Hurst showed how people by use of their skills, looks, or names, could be used as advantages in society. He uses the examples of celebrities, sports figures, and beautiful people to show that people can be commodities. All of these groups bring some sort of recognition or attraction that is beneficial to a company, firm, or individual. In return, they receive compensation for their name recognition to society. (Hurst 99-115)
The article talks about how valuable a name can be. Whether it is the name of a person or a company, a name can bring about monetary value to someone. “Like any asset, a good name can be bought or sold.” (Clarion-Ledger) The article uses examples such as the names of companies and goods, and relates them to a value that society has placed on them. “If you have a good thing, it will draw a crowd.” (Clarion-Ledger) It is the crowd that will respond to the name and spend money in that direction due to name familiarity.
The connection between the article and the material that was presented in class is the idea of a commodity. The article specifically uses the examples of the names of Winn- Dixie, and Catfish. The corporation that owns Winn-Dixie recently bought a smaller chain of stores. Consequently, it then retired the name of the bought corporation and renamed the newly acquired stores Winn-Dixie. This is because of two reasons. The name Winn-Dixie is highly known throughout the south for having a respectable reputation. The stores that were bought out by Winn-Dixie had been struggling. Therefore their former name had a reputation of being a downtrodden chain that was associated with its recent struggles and problems. It was in the best interest for a name change to happen. It all has to due name familiarity. Whenever people see a name they recognize, they associate it with either a good connotation or a bad connotation. That is what causes a person or a business to either lose money or turn profit. The other example used is that of the name catfish.
Elusive companies where making very obtainable money and power. This creating the three social classes we live by today, upper class, middle class, and poverty. Thus this begins to bring us into a common modern day America; where the reactions of the American people are to in some way find common ground amongst one another and give power to, celebrities, and support someone with a similar life styles and beliefs to help give that group of citizens’ a voice and the ability to possibly change to change something; this was also used in reverse where one person with power looking for more support would familiarize and make himself a celebrity with a specific group. Whether this is on the behalf of political, racial, economical, and or religious the American people would idolize someone to be their mascot so to say. This tactic can come to be brought about with the actions of the everyday working man “Sam Patch, a factory hand who, in the 1820s, became America’s first professional daredevil. Patch jumped from high places beside waterfalls. Journalists wrote about him, crowds came to see him, boys imagined being him, and… he was a mill boy who became a celebrity.”(1)
-Store brand name enables product to be accepted and adopted more easily by consumers because of brand recognition
names are prevented from being able to reassimilate within society, they are the outcasts. It also
The media is one of the most powerful tools in people’s lives, since it’s used by many as the medium for the delivery of useful information to diverse audience. Over the past few years, the media landscape has undergone noteworthy developments. Prized information about various cultural groups is often relayed through appropriate media, and it’s interesting to note that blogs are currently being utilized as the best medium for celebrity gossip. Celebrity blogs are usually thronged with readers, who would like to know more about their favorite superstars. The entries of different celebrity gossip blogs are often accompanied by paparazzi photos that are usually meant to trigger a stream of comments based on the readers’ observations, enthusiasm and criticisms.
There are still families that are respected because of their legacy. For instance, the Kennedy’s were already a prominent family in society before John F Kennedy became president. Other prominent family names include Hilton, Gates, Booth, and Pinckney because of the histories and wealth associated with these families. This way, people are still born with a certain level of honor and prestige based on the family name they carry. Even on a local level, families carry reputations of having certain traits. Before meeting a Falls, one may expect to encounter a calm, reserved, intelligent person because those are traits associated with the Falls name. On a personal level, a person’s name still holds keys to a story. Public records are kept on everyone. A skilled researcher could uncover a person 's past simply by researching a name because that name carries a story. Anything a person does, whether good or bad, is associated with a name. Sometimes people to form opinions on someone based on a person’s name because the name alone tells a story. Modern cultures may view names casually, but they still carry power
i. Need recognition Usually when buyers buy a product based on the need. A need to try out new ideas for a low price such as the restaurant’s menu, a relaxing spa, hair treatment, or to purchase a fashion handbag.... ... middle of paper ... ...
A business name is an important part of marketing effort. It shows how customers perceive the business and the image of the business is based on this perception (Fox, 2012). It is
The thought-provoking song “Wings” is an excellent introduction to Marx’s theory of commodity fetishism. Commodity fetishism is the process of attributing phantom “magic-like” qualities to an object, whereby the human labour required to make that object is lost once the object is associated with a monetary value for exchange.
I have read an account called " 'What's in a Name? " ", which is composed by Henry Louis Gates. This account demonstrates to us a youth experience of the creator that happened amid the mid-1950s. In the article, Gates alludes to an occurrence when a white man, Mr. Wilson, who was well disposed with his dad, called his dad "George", a name which was a prominent method for alluding to African Americans in those circumstances. In any case, Gates' dad needed to acknowledge this separation and couldn't make a move around then. By utilizing sentiment to bring out individuals' enthusiastic reaction, and utilizing suggestion, Gates effectively communicates his claim that name shapes individuals' discernments
The Reasons Why Many People in the Late 20th Century are so Attracted to Celebrities
Are you a hopeless romantic, waiting around for the right girl or guy to come around and make sense of your world? Well, maybe you’ve been watching too many romance movies. Hollywood presents love as a feeling, one that most teenagers confuse with infatuation and lust. Movies like The Notebook create a false view of what love looks like and many teenagers lose the opportunity to find love because they are waiting for someone to sweep them off their feet and kiss them in the rain while the background music slowly plays; but there are movies out there that do give us a pretty realistic view of what love looks like without having to showcase any nudity or sexual scenes. I wish to contrast the differences between the movie The Notebook and Fireproof along with their affects on teenagers. Most teenagers have learned to handle heated situations in the manor in which they have seen presented in movies. Dr. O’Hara, a researcher at the University of Missouri, studied the behavior patterns of 1,200 teens for six years and he found that the teens that watched suggestive movies tended to be more sexually active and have a more casual view on sex than those that were not exposed to as much media (Hagelin 2). What if Hollywood made more movies that focused on wholesome values and principles? In this paper I challenge the parents of teenagers to take off the blindfolds and help their teens to find a balance between these fantasies that Hollywood presents and reality, and I believe that Hollywood could play a role in reshaping the mindsets of teenagers.
Did you know that being famous can be for better or worse? Even though it had been proven a tremendous number of times that being famous can be dangerous people still aspire to be famous. This paper will tell you about the ups and downs that famous people have, as well as the economics trials and tribulations of being famous.
utilize social media websites causing their fans to feel “like they ‘know’ them through their
“Linked to a brand, its name is the symbol that adds to or subtract from the value provided by a product or service.” (Aeler, 1991) Like country of origin, brand equity is also one of the reasons why some people want to have a well-known brands in the whole world. Sometimes it is not all about the price anymore because in today’s generation brand is more important than
In previous years, the issue with the paparazzi and media has grown. With the advances in technology, it makes taking and posting photos of celebrities or public figures much easier. The public appears greedy and feels privy to their private lives. Celebrities, or any public figure, have very limited privacy due to the paparazzi and media. The paparazzi and media are also affecting celebrities’ children. Currently, laws are being put in effect to stop this.