Celebrity Culture and the Entertainment Industry in Asia

Use of Celebrity and its Influence on Society, Culture and Communication

Vivienne Leung, Kimmy Cheng, Tommy Tse, Vivienne Leung, Kimmy Cheng, Tommy Tse

• Publisher: Intellect Books
• Year: 2017
• Print ISBN: 9781783208074
• eBook ISBN: 9781783208098
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Advertising
• Index: Business

Offering a rare insight into the world of celebrity and media in China and beyond, Celebrity Culture and the Entertainment Industry in Asia deconstructs the dynamics of "stardom" and celebrity endorsement in East Asia, and examines its impact on marketing communications and media. Through first-hand interviews with celebrities and entertainment industry practitioners, the book discusses the social, cultural and economic influences of celebrity through topics such as self-identity, celebrity-driven consumer behaviour, gender and race stereotypes, idol worship, etc. Interviews with celebrities such as Kai-Wah Kwok, Bob Lam, Denise Ho, Hilary Tsui and Francis Mak present the reader with insider accounts of celebrity formation, management and marketing in Hong Kong and Mainland China, as well as South Korea and Taiwan. These untold inside stories of celebrity endorsement and advocacy will stimulate both academic and general readers' interest in rethinking the economic and cultural implications of the phenomenon of stardom.

Chapter 1

Introduction

Whether living in modern western or Asian societies, we would not be surprised by the fact that we are surrounded by traces of celebrities in our everyday lives: in the news and commercials we watch; the television shows and films we enjoy; the products and images we consume; the role models and media personalities we mimic; the sociocultural issues we tirelessly gossip about; or even the benchmarks we uphold to judge ourselves and others. But what is celebrity? Do we all conceive it similarly across time and space, cultures and contexts? Who produces, propagates and twists its meaning and manifestation?

This book attempts to enrich the existing literature of celebrity studies – which has been predominantly developed from the western cultural context – through in-depth interviews with seasoned practitioners in various entertainment industries and members of media and brand communication teams in Hong Kong, mainland China and South Korea, specifically celebrities, media workers, artist managers and publicists. Through this, we aim to critically understand the divergent definitions of celebrity, analyse the differing manifestations of celebrity cultures, and comprehend the construction of their meaning and cultural positioning. Discussions of celebrity creation and endorsement cases across East Asia over the past three decades can help us understand the multiple facets of celebrity power and culture, such as the construction of self-identity, celebrity-driven consumer behaviour and embedded ideologies, in addition to its analogous and dissimilar impacts on branding, society and consumers in the specified sociocultural contexts. Various western, cross-disciplinary theories that explain the influence of celebrities are also examined for their empirical applicability, and are contextualized to real-life scenarios in Asia in the hopes of bridging the gap between theory and practice.

Data in the book

Through our professional networks, twelve in-depth interviews were conducted in Hong Kong with media, marketing and entertainment industry professionals and prominent celebrities between July 2014 and February 2015. Among them were artist managers, publicists/advertisers, media workers and celebrities from Hong Kong, mainland China and South Korea.

All interviewees were selected using volunteer sampling; as such, they were selected non-randomly, based on availability. After reading an explanatory statement, participants were asked to sign a form consenting to their participation. Interviews were conducted and recorded through exchanges in which the interviewees verbally provided us with information face-to-face in semi-structured interviews. We posed a set of basic questions, but also asked probing follow-up questions to gather specific details or answers that were more complete. Questions were also open-ended in order to encourage in-depth answers from the interviewees. All interviews lasted for between approximately 45 minutes and 90 minutes.

All interviewees participated on a voluntary basis; moreover, they were allowed to decline to participate at any time during the study period. They could also refuse to answer any questions they did not want to answer while still remaining part of the study. Although some interviewees gave permission for their information to be used, selected company names and sensitive data provided by them were anonymized to protect their confidentiality. Furthermore, upon the interviewees’ request, audio transcripts and relevant recordings were available for their review.

Structure of the book

The organization of this book is meant to offer a critical discussion of recent cases of, and first-hand interviews with, significant players in the entertainment industry across Asia, particularly in Hong Kong, mainland China and South Korea.

The layout of each chapter follows the same format: an introduction; interviews concerning the major themes and content; and final insights. Direct quotations from the interviews have been incorporated to provide a better representation of the interviewees’ perspectives and feelings.

In Chapter 2, we uncover the different facets of celebrity co-creation dynamics in Hong Kong, mainland China and South Korea compared with those in the west and other Asian societies. This is accomplished through interviews with Wallace Kwok

a seasoned media personality and celebrity manager in Hong Kong; Francis Cheng

CEO of Occasions PR and Marketing Ltd; and Yeong-Beom Jeong

an experienced celebrity manager in South Korea. The historical changes and hierarchical statuses of major parties/agents involved in the co-creation and publicity process are elucidated. In the specified Asian context, the economic potential and hindrance derived from a distinctive entertainment culture and political environment are discerned and validated by both the primary and secondary data presented.

For Chapter 3, a history of celebrity endorsement and its rising importance in marketing communications strategies is narrated. Anson Shum, marketing and communication director (Greater China) at the Bluebell Group, and June Lee, communication director (Asia-Pacific) at a well-known western cosmetics brand, were interviewed. The pair shed new light on the evolving use and gradually diminishing power of celebrities across various types of marketing communications in Asia amid the rising ubiquity of digital technology, which now renders celebrity endorsement a more challenging and complicated process. The interviewees also shared cross-cultural similarities between how brands and celebrities collaborate and mutually benefit each other, such as by enhancing a celebrity’s fame, escalating brand awareness and generating sales. That said, new modes of partnership between celebrities and brands are also introduced.

Chapter 4 offers a critical discussion of the symbiotic yet asymmetrical relationship between celebrity and media in the entertainment industry in Asia, drawing on insights from three seasoned media workers in Hong Kong. They are Francis Mak

a well-known radio host in Hong Kong; Patrick Suen

a seasoned columnist and film critic in Hong Kong, who is keen on Asian films and Korean pop culture; and Kam Kwok-leung

an experienced practitioner within the Hong Kong entertainment industry. Along with the rapid expansion and development of media conglomerates, the prevalence of celebrity in the media and their symbiotic relationship are discussed. This chapter also takes a look at how digital media alters the celebrity–media relationship. In addition, the interviewees shared how both Chinese and Korean celebrities currently work with traditional and digital media, which is expected to continue to provide tension.

Chapter 5 presents four case studies on celebrity culture and celebrity identity, based on in-depth interviews with Denise Ho

Hilary Tsui

Pakho Chau

and Bob Lam

all of whom are leading celebrities in Hong Kong across different sectors of the media and entertainment industries. We investigate celebrity as an ever-changing and intertextual sign that is discursively and differently constructed across cultures and societies. Different audiences’ and social groups’ polarized views on a wide range of celebrity signs in society, and their unprecedented impact on the key agent in the entertainment industry – the celebrities themselves – are discussed and analysed based on the interviewed Chinese celebrities’ insider experiences and views. The themes directly addressed and uniquely shared in detail by the key players themselves include self-identity; the chances and challenges posed by the new media environment they face; and how local audiences are fascinated by and strongly identify with these celebrities in forming their subversive social, cultural and gender identities.

Overall, these interviews and case studies bear empirical and theoretical significance. Empirically, this project benefited from direct and individual in-depth accounts from renowned celebrities and professionals. We revealed and analysed not only the recollections of practitioners, but also their reflections, attitudes and perceptions, overcoming the lack of willingness of industry insiders to be interviewed (Stokes, 2013), particularly in this culturally sensitive business. The first-hand, insider information gathered from these diverse sources in the entertainment industry engendered authentic and holistic perspectives, providing a more comprehensive and balanced understanding of celebrity cultures. Theoretically, the up-to-date cases discussed in this book offer a timely examination of the phenomenon of stardom in an East Asian context, forging a dialogue between Asian and western academic discourses.

In the following introductory section, we will introduce various academic disciplinary perspectives to celebrity culture – from sociology, anthropology, media and cultural studies to communication theories and political economy. Such a plethora of interdisciplinary ideas presented at the outset – which mainly origin...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Foreword by Kineta Hung
• Foreword by P. David Marshall
• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: Co-creation of celebrities
• Chapter 3: Celebrities in marketing communications
• Chapter 4: Celebrity in media
• Chapter 5: Celebrity and identity
• Chapter 6: Conclusion
• References
• Authors' biographies
• Back Cover