ALC304 Essay: An Analysis of Celebrity Commodification

This essay delves into the multifaceted concept of celebrity commodification, exploring its various dimensions and advantages. It begins by defining celebrity and commodity, setting the stage for an analysis of how celebrities are transformed into valuable brands. The essay examines the role of market value, public perception, and lifestyle in determining a celebrity's brand value, highlighting how successful professionals, controversial figures, and role models are all subject to commodification. The essay discusses how celebrity commodification allows celebrities to earn significant income, exercise societal influence, and promote social causes. It also acknowledges the potential downsides, such as the concentration of wealth and the endorsement of products by potentially undeserving individuals. In conclusion, the essay emphasizes the complexity of celebrity commodification, underscoring the importance of considering its various aspects and the overall positive impact it has on the celebrities involved.

Running head: CELEBRITY COMMODIFICATION
Celebrity Commodification
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1CELEBRITY COMMODIFICATION
The term celebrity is used to designate a person who is renowned and who is used to
receiving plenty of attention from the public. It is usually people who work in the world of
entertainment who are known to be celebrities (Bifulco 2017). Examples of celebrities include
people who work in the music and television industry, people who work in the movies and
people who hail from the world of sport. The word commodity refers to an economic service or
an economic good which is characterized by substantial or full fungibility. Commodity prices
form an important feature of market dynamics. The wide-scale availability of a commodity is
something that leads to a reduction of profit margins in the market space while a wide range of
other factors such as price, and brand value are also diminished considerably (Daibhowala 2016).
This assignment will take a look at the positive aspects of celebrity commodification. In the
process of doing so, the paper will assess what celebrity commodification is all about along with
the various dimensions of celebrity commodification and will conclude by mentioning some of
the most important benefits or advantages that are associated with commodification from the
point of view of a celebrity.
The commodification of celebrity status is something that has led to celebrities being
accorded immense brand value for the work that they do. This brand value is attached to the
work celebrities do be it endorsing a product or service or simply when engaging in the act of
promoting a film (McManus 2019). The brand value or the commodification of celebrity status is
something that is seen to depend a great deal on the market value of the celebrity. If the celebrity
in question, be it a sport star or a movie star is doing well in the world of entertainment, if his
work in the entertainment industry is attracting the attention that it deserves, then it is more than
likely that the brand value of the celebrity is going to be immensely high (Potter and Hill 2017).
People are going to come forward and see the person in action regardless of what it is that the

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person does, because there is so much value that is attached to what it is that this person is
capable of doing. Celebrities who are successful in their field of work, who are doing well in the
sports arena or in the movie industry are people who are prone the most to celebrity
commodification (Potter and Hill 2017). Brands are eager to tie up such celebrities for
endorsements as they know that in the process of doing so they are going to be able to reach out
to a wider target audience than usual. Brands are certain that they can attract a lot more attention
than usual when they sign up successful celebrities to promote their brands than they would be
able to if they signed up celebrities who are not doing too well and who are unlikely to be crowd
pullers the way that successful celebrities are (Potter and Hill 2017).
The commodification of a celebrity is something that is based not just how well it is that
a celebrity is doing in his or her field of specialization, but it is also something that depends a
great deal on how the public perceive the celebrity. There are some celebrities who are not all
that good at what they do but who are controversial by virtue of the lifestyles that they lead and
in the bargain they are able to attract a lot of public attention and public appeal which in turn
contributes to their brand or their commercial value (Root 2018). Such celebrities can be huge
crowd pullers and can raise a lot of money for public and private causes because people desire to
see them all of the time and when they are found endorsing a brand or a product, the product is
something that automatically becomes well received by its target audience. Hence the
commodification of celebrity status or the act of being a celebrity is not as simple as it seems
(Root 2018). While celebrities who are flourishing in their field of work are certain to be signed
up by brands for the purpose of product promotion, there are others who are likely to be signed
up by brands as well, not because of their professional success rate but because of the fact that
they have larger than life personas and lead an interesting lifestyle which is certain to be well

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received and well accepted by the public. In this respect it must be pointed out that celebrity
commodification is something that depends greatly not just on the market value of the celebrity
but also the public appeal and the public image of the celebrity regardless of how good or bad it
is (Wenner 2020). Apart from celebrities being considered of high brand value because of their
success ratio or because of their controversial lifestyles, there are celebrities who are in the
public eye because they lead lives as role models and because their actions are considered to be
virtuous and an example for the society in which they live. These are people who devote their
lives to the greater good or to the wellbeing of the society in which they reside and this in turn is
something that contributes to their public appeal, leading people to respect them and instilling in
people a desire to see them often. It is quite common for brands to sign up role models for the
promotion of products and services. In this respect it would be notable to point out that sports
men are considered to be role models by the people of their country for the most part, and are
subjected to immense commodification by brands because of the fact that people look up to them
and want to be like them. Sports stars are considered to lead cleaner and less controversial lives
than movie stars and other people who work in the entertainment industry and are thus
approached by brands for the endorsement of products because of their exemplary behavior
(Wenner 2020).
By and large celebrity commodification is quite positive for people who function in the
entertainment industry as it puts them in a position to earn vast amounts of money doing things
part from the role that they perform as celebrities. A movie star who may not be churning out hit
films one after the other but who is considered to be a role model can end up earning a lot of
money because this is a person who is considered to have excellent brand value and who is
therefore approached by brands to be their ambassador or spokespersons. Celebrities not only get

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to earn a lot of money but they also get to exercise a significant impact or influence on the
society in which they live by virtue of their brand value (Potter and Hill 2017). People in their
society look up to them and want to purchase the products and the services that they are seen to
endorse, leading brands to have full faith in the amount of money that they invest in such
celebrities, wanting to retain them as brand ambassadors over the long term rather than only
retaining short term goals in this respect (McManus 2019). The commodification of celebrity
status is something that puts a celebrity in a position to exercise a lot of influence in the society
where he lives and in the country of his residence. Social causes get promoted a lot more easily
than usual by celebrities who have high brand value largely because of the fact that people are
likely to listen to them and consider what they have to say compared to celebrities who do not
have good brand value and who are therefore unable to have a significant impact on the public,
especially when it comes to dealing with social causes (McManus 2019).
Celebrity commodification is a controversial subject because not all the people who are
subject to commodification are worthy of the same. Brand ambassadors are role models for the
most part, but at times even the most controversial of people are seen to be approached for the
promotion of branded products because of their high market value or because of the fact that they
have huge public appeal and wish to be seen by the public quite a good bit, leading brand owners
to assume that such persons will do a good job of promoting their products and services (Root
2018). The downside of celebrity commodification is that it can lead to concentration of large
sums of money in the hands of people who may not deserve so much money and who may not
even have contemplated earning so much money are able to go ahead and earn lots of money
because of the brand value that is attached to their public image. They simply have to be in

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demand in the public eye and they will be approached by investors for the promotion of branded
goods and services, earning large sums of money in the process (Root 2018).
In conclusion it can be stated that the process of celebrity commodification is complex
and there are many aspects or angles to it that need to be taken into consideration. To begin with,
the brand value that is attached to a celebrity is based on the market value of the celebrity which
in turn is based on how successful it is that the celebrity happens to be in the industry in which
he or she operates. If the celebrity is doing well in his or her line of work, it will not be unnatural
for such a person to be approached for the endorsement of a brand. Brand value is also
something that is accorded to a celebrity on the basis of the public image that is held by the
celebrity, based on how well received such a person is by the public of the country where he or
she makes a living. Controversial figures and celebrities who are considered to be role models
are equally favored by brands around the world for the purpose of endorsement. Hence the type
of value that is accorded to a celebrity or the commodification process is one that is characterized
by many different dimensions. By and large the commodification of a celebrity is something that
works positively or in favor of the celebrity who is being commodified. Such a person finds
himself in a position to earn a lot of money in a short span of time. The celebrity who goes
through the process of commodification is also able to exercise a good deal of societal influence
given the fact that this is a person who is in high demand by the public and who people really
want to see in front of them at all times, be it for the promotion of a brand or for upholding social
causes and working towards the better of social issues.

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References
Bifulco, L., 2017. The celebrated body: Celebrities, market and commodification. Bajo palabra.
Revista de filosofía, 2(16), pp.19-27
Dabhoiwala, F., 2016. Kitty Fisher: The Commodification of Celebrity. In The Material Cultures
of Enlightenment Arts and Sciences (pp. 263-265). Palgrave Macmillan, London.
McManus, J.H., 2019. Commodification of News. The International Encyclopedia of Journalism
Studies, pp.1-5.
Potter, A. and Hill, L., 2017. Cultivating global celebrity: Bindi Irwin, FremantleMedia and the
commodification of grief. Celebrity Studies, 8(1), pp.35-50.
Root, D., 2018. Cannibal culture: Art, appropriation, and the commodification of difference.
Routledge
Wenner, L.A., 2020. Commodification and Heroic Masculinity: Interrogating Race and the NFL
Quarterback in Super Bowl Commercials. In The Palgrave Handbook of Masculinity and
Sport (pp. 225-240). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.