Celebrity Capital: Assessing the Value of Fame

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Celebrities attract the attention of commercial interests and other public figures. They receive payments from sponsors to endorse brands. They are sought out to appear with politicians during election campaigns. They are used to promote health messages. In other words, celebrities are often perceived to possess qualities that give them special value or what we will refer to here as 'celebrity capital'. This means that celebrities are regarded as being able to add premium value to specific objects, events, and issues and hence render these items more valuable or effective. Employing an interesting and new approach to the growing scholarly interest in celebrity culture, Barrie Gunter uses the idea of value as expressed through the term 'capital'. Capital usually refers to the monetary worth of something. Celebrity capital however can be measured in economic terms but also in social, political and psychological terms. Research from around the world has been collated to provide an evidence-based analysis of the value of celebrity in the 21st century and how it can be systematically assessed. Including further reading for students, key points and end of chapter discussion questions, Gunter creates the first methodology to assess the value of fame.

Reviews

This volume introduces key debates from within the field of film star studies and celebrity culture as they are understood in terms of what Gunter refers to as celebrity capital. The case studies presented here are engaging and thought-provoking and will undoubtedly make you think again about the role, responsibility and representation of celebrity culture. * Rebecca Feasey, Senior Lecturer in Film and Media Communications, Bath Spa University, UK *
Celebrity Capital offers a fresh and data-driven analysis of how highly mediated cultural figures generate value in a wide variety of ways. Written with a deep appreciation for both historical context and the present-day complexities of the digital revolution, this important book is likely to become required reading for students and scholars working at the nexus of popular culture and political economy. * Christopher H. Smith, Clinical Professor and Co-Director of Media, Economics & Entrepreneurship, Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism, University of Southern California, USA *
In this book, Gunter employs an interesting approach to the growing scholarly interest in celebrity culture by examining the value celebrities have through the term capital. Defining celebrity as a person who has a high public profile, the author explains that celebrity capital can be measured in monetary terms as well as other ways, such as the psychological capital of celebrities, defined as the psychological impact celebrities have on their fans Although brief, this insightful book should appeal to undergraduates and graduate students interested in learning about how valuable celebrities can become to companies, political parties, or worthy causes. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates and above. -- E. Applegate, Middle Tennessee State University * CHOICE *

Author Bio

Barrie Gunter is Professor of Mass Communication at the University of Leicester, UK. He is author of over 50 books and more than 250 journal articles, books chapters and other publications on media, marketing and management issues. Among his specialist areas of interest are media audiences, new media developments and the impact of news.