Celebrities Though Advertising Influencing Culture Worldwide

Advertising surrounds Americans all the time. According to Professor Klima, a typical American sees about one thousand ads per day. Everywhere we go…we are being advertised at. Advertisements appear everywhere through the media and the material possessions that people buy especially clothes. Why? Big companies and corporations spend millions of dollars on advertising per day in order for the consumer to buy their particular product. A proven formula that works for the companies selling a product: a celebrity endorsement.

Many people from different backgrounds can become a celebrity including athletes, musicians, actors, & even politicians. Celebrities have a huge impact on marketing sales for the product that they endorse. They have a huge impact by helping to form new trends in how most people should think, act, wear, and what to listen to.

Since the beginning of the advertising age in America during the early twentieth century, many American companies have used celebrities to sell their products. In the 1930s, many popular American actresses would smoke a cigarette for the Marlboro Company showing how cool smoking is. Now, many famous actresses endorse hair products by Garnier. This celebrity trend in advertising has not only occurred in America but this trend is world-wide through the “first-world” countries.
America is not a nation alone with its marketing strategies. England and India have also used celebrities to market their products as well. In India, one business has made millions upon millions of dollars through the work of their celebrities, the actors of the Bollywood industry.

A forty second ad from Eros Entertainment of India tries to promote the company by showing a clip from another Bollywood film. As seen in many Bollywood films, this ad features lots of Bollywood celebrities (actors and actresses) singing and dancing in Hindi. There’s a formula in Bollywood films showing their innocence through singing and dancing without no sex or kissing on-screen.
This advertisement features a woman that Julia Roberts claimed as “the most beautiful person in the world,” Aishwarya Rai. Millions of people from around the world follow and admire her by buying whatever movie she is in or the product she endorses. In this ad, Eros Entertainment features her with the lead actor in order to promote the release of the film. As a result, Eros Entertainment makes a huge profit by featuring Ms. Rai in an ad.

This particular ad tries to sell Bollywood, in particular Eros entertainment by listing the website and release date for a future film. Eros Entertainment makes up one of few companies that release films of the Bollywood genre. The Bollywood industry makes hundreds of millions of dollars per year from these ads. “And the lure of profits is great. The Indian film industry releases 800 to 900 movies a year in many languages, but the Bollywood movies in Hindi -about 150 to 200 a year - generate the greatest revenues. Though 9 out of 10 flop, a big hit can earn 15 times as much as it cost to make, Mr. Dasgupta (Bollywood executive) said. ‘There's a lot of money to be made,’ he said” (New York Times. “Bollywood: A Pillar of Corruption” http://www.indiapolicy.org/lists/india_policy/2001/Feb/msg00157.html). The Bollywood industry has a huge effect in the Indian media; however, England (a country that once owned India) through its media outlets advertise with celebrities in a different way.

In the new millennium, England has been leaning more towards liberal tendencies through their vibrant culture and government (by picking a lesser conservative Prime Minister). The British Broadcasting Company (BBC) owns many networks in England including Channel 4. This channel features American programs like “ER” and “Friends, “ but also pushes boundaries through many of their original programming and made-for-TV movies. During the fall programming of 2003, Channel 4 featured two commercials from 2 different cooking shows during the showing of a made-for-TV movie, “Second Generation.”

The first commercial features a well-known British chef, John Burton, leaving England and making a living cooking in the French country-side. In this ad for the program “French Leave”, Channel 4 tries to show the life of a celebrity moving outside his homeland and getting a “fresh start” by moving to France. The ad tries to attract many Brits who either like cooking programs or trying to watch how another person does living outside their hometown for a long period of time. This program constitutes the reality television program genre that’s featured on American television. A celebrity chef, who has his own show in America’s Food Network, is featured in another ad for Channel 4.

Channel 4 features Jamie Oliver, a celebrity chef from England, in one advertisement for his new program “Return to Jamie’s Kitchen.” In this reality TV based program, Jamie returns to one of his restaurants and checks to see the progress of his restaurant. Many people not only watch Jamie Oliver for his cooking skills, but also, to see what he might do next. With a big ego and charisma, Jamie takes charge by cursing at his workers. This ad tries to attract the 18-35 year old demographic by showing that any one can cook while still being an cursing right and left to your employees while still treating a customer with some respect. In addition, Channel 4 features Jamie Oliver as one of their celebrities in the ad only shown in British movie theatres and on the internet, “My Favorite Swear Word Is?”

In this controversial British ad, celebrities from both England and America utter out their favorite curse word. Some of the celebrities’ favorites include the “f-bomb” and the “word that starts with c and ends with t.” In addition, many had their own unique expletives like “England” and “See you next Tuesday.” The best expletives come from Zach Braniff in the end.
Channel 4 knew this ad would create controversy. As usual, controversy helps to sale the network of Channel 4. In addition, this commercial tries to attract the younger demographic by seeing how cool it is to curse. Some young person might think, “If a famous person can curse on a commercial, then I can curse all I want in my life.” England’s Channel 4 tries to shape the culture of young Brits by influencing them their advertisements especially the swear word ad. Many people try to emulate their favorite celebrity. As a result, many fans of a particular celebrity might keep on repeating an expletive said by their favorite celebrity. English celebrities do not have as much control of popular culture as American celebrities do.
In the United States, advertisements fill the media outlets through film, music, internet, radio, and especially television. American television runs on commercial advertising. How else will the networks get paid? This outlet constantly bombards the viewer with the same commercials for a two week to two month period depending on the product being advertised by the big company. In addition, celebrities try to plug their own programming in order for viewers not only to watch the show, but to purchase the products shown during the television program. A huge conglomerate, AOL Time Warner, shows celebrities plugging their own program through the network of TNT.

In this TV commercial, the actors have to answer one question: What makes drama? The common response used in this particular ad is that “conflict creates drama,” which include actors like Jerry Orbach from “Law and Order” and Dennis Franz from “NYPD Blue.” Right after the question is answered of “What is Drama?”…all the actors plug their shows by saying “(Insert Show Name) on TNT.”

The cable network, TNT, calls itself, “The Drama Network.” The actors/celebrities promote their show by trying to seem like everyday people answering a question posed to them by someone. In addition, the actors are not in character and just become another person that has a well-paying job. In addition to TNT being known as a cable network that shows drama, this cable channel broadcasted the 2005 NBA All-Star Game that featured a “commercial plug.”

During the fourth quarter of the NBA All-Star game, Shaq O’ Neal of the Miami Heat talked to a TNT basketball reporter. While seating on the bench, Shaq brought out his size 22 shoe, which contained a small cell phone in the bottom of the heel. Shaq passed the phone to the basketball reporter, saying that, “It was for you.” On the other line, P. Dizzel (“Puff” Daddy) talked to him as the camera zoomed in on P. Dizzel showing him talk to the basketball reporter with another Shaq’s “phone shoe.”
Shaq is a great guy and loves having fun and all. But still, I think that was a “shameless plug” for his shoe. Many shoe companies gives brand-new shoes to NBA players in order for them to wear the “cool kicks” for “cool kids” who live in the hood or who love basketball will try to buy.

Many young kids grow up and dream like they can become the next Shaq or Michael Jordan. One way someone can be like their favorite player is to purchase all the products under a pro athlete’s name. Just look at the most well-known basketball player of all-time, Michael Jordan. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Nike Air Jordan basketball shoes. Michael Jordan and Nike have revolutionized how marketing is done in professional sports. The NBA does not market its teams anymore. It’s all about individual marketing of players by their name: Yao, LeBron, Bryant, Shaq, and the list goes on. Athletes have become celebrities in our culture of mass marketing and gross advertising.
Celebrities have a huge impact on our culture. Not only do celebrities influence culture, they dictate culture. In order to be hip or in with the times, many celebrities have to reinvent themselves by changing their appearance daily. Tabloids like “Star” and “The National Enquirer” dedicate their stories to them, and cable channels like the E! Channel mainly containing programs that follow the lives of celebrities. One program on E! devotes itself to stalking celebrities “Celebrities Uncensored.” Through this bombardment of celebrities constantly being seen through the media outlets, many anthropologists and sociologists have tried see through the trend.

In the PBS documentary, “Merchants of the Cool,” issues of the “teeny-pop” singers showing off their naval in order to look more sexy. A sexy appearance can only help sell more records. Just ask the most popular one of them all, Britney Spears. She is worth at least 100 million dollars through all the endorsements she receives. What kind of programming features Britney? Her music videos usually reach #1 in the MTV countdown programs. When Britney endorsed a product like “McDonald’s” through a special promotion, lots of Britney fans from around the country not only bought her CD but had to buy “McDonald’s” food in order to get their Britney item. Many people of the older generations might view Britney Spears differently than some people from my generation.

Many television personalities have different perspectives on advertising world-wide, especially in the United States. My pupils constantly see advertising and just become immune to it at times. However, when there too much advertising. I am going to agree with what Andy Rooney said about advertising, “No matter where you go, advertising is in your face…Most of us don't mind a certain amount of advertising. It can be attractive and interesting…The only thing wrong is, there's too much advertising for advertising’s own good”(Andy Rooney-“60 Minutes” http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/02/18/60minutes/rooney/main675101.shtml).

Through the mainstream media, celebrities not only control our “popular culture” in America, but also, they have a world-wide appeal as well. Many people think that by seeing their favorite person that they can have a positive effect in his or her life. Looking up to someone or idolizing a celebrity is so easy with what’s going on in our world. All the negative energy being thrown at people through lack of items. Advertising has controlled most of our lives. People cannot truly be free and independent in a society that contains too much advertising and too much money.