Mills, Scott and Patterson, Anthony and Quinn, Lee (2015) Fabricating celebrity brands via scandalous narrative : crafting, capering and commodifying the comedian, Russell Brand. Journal of Marketing Management, 31 (5-6). pp. 599-615. ISSN 0267-257X
Full text not available from this repository.Abstract
Most marketing researchers with an interest in the mythic machinations of celebrity culture assume that being implicated in a scandal is detrimental to long-term brand-building efforts. However, our premise is that this assumption is often misguided. We argue that celebrities who court scandal sometimes find that the media coverage it precipitates – especially when the spun narrative is compelling – can significantly increase their brand value. To support our assertion, we begin by reviewing the literature on celebrity scandal. Following this, we illustrate how the creation of a scandalous narrative can fuel a celebrity career. To do so, we investigate the colourful career of the comedian-cum-revolutionary, Russell Brand. We conclude that, when combined, the 3Cs of his scandalous narrative – crafting, capering and commodifying – present, in combination, a viable means of gaining entry into the upper echelons of celebritydom.