Ebook
Integrated Marketing Communication: Celebrity and the American Political Process uses an integrated marketing communication perspective to examine the brand of the celebrity as it is brought into the American political system, primarily in the form of celebrity endorsements and branding, as candidates, causes, and movements use celebrities as a strategy to reach voters. Jennifer Brubaker posits that while the relationship between celebrities and political issues is hardly new, it has evolved into a significant connection—in the past, it was a novelty to see a politically active celebrity; today, it’s becoming an expectation related to fame. Using integrated marketing communication and persuasion theory, Brubaker argues that establishing candidates’ brand identity is a critical factor in determining whether they win or lose an election, and celebrity-politics relationships are a central tool in building a candidates’ brand identity. Scholars of political science, communication, marketing, and history will find this book particularly useful.
Introduction
Part I
Chapter 1: Integrated Marketing Communication
Chapter 2: Persuasion: Source Effects
Chapter 3: Persuasion: Receiver Effects
Part II
Chapter 4: History of Celebrities and Politics
Chapter 5: Election 2016: The Celebrity Election
Chapter 6: Celebrities Post-2016: Everyone is “Woke”
Epilogue: As 2020 approaches…
Appendix A: “It Doesn’t Affect My Vote:” A study of third-person effects
of celebrity endorsements in the 2004, 2008 and 2012 elections
About the Author
Jennifer Brubaker is associate professor in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.