How has the field of promotional culture and celebrity theory helped us understand our celebrity landscape? In your answer, describe and critically discuss key theories that seek to define the concept of celebrity and critically assess their validity when applied to the production of celebrity. Use examples to illustrate your points.

HOW PROMOTIONAL CULTURE AND CELEBRITY THEORY HELP US UNDERSTAND CELEBRITY LANDSCAPE By [Name] Class Name Professor University State and City Date Introduction The interpretation of the complex nature of modern popular culture necessitates knowledge of celebrity theory and promotional culture. Promotion culture encompasses branding, marketing, and advertising in determining the traits and standards of consumers, culture, and society (Wernick, 199, p.262). Celebrity theories explore the processes of generating, distributing, and receiving fame in society. Theories such as the Goffmanian approach, star theory, and classification model describe how popular culture facilitates celebrity development and the use of media outlets to advertise and market products. By considering the link between these two domains, it is essential to understand more about how celebrities are the driving force behind marketing campaigns. They also act as influencers who shape and reflect these larger cultural narratives and aspirations (Veda and Sathish, 2024. p.2). The following work provides a deep understanding of using celebrities in marketing, citing examples of Rihana, Beyonce, and others to show how celebrities' characters grow to influence their fans' purchasing decisions.  Celebrities highly influence public opinion, shaping people's tastes, behaviors, and buying decisions in different ways. These individuals can change how consumers view products and businesses with endorsements, brand connectedness, and individual endorsements. Customers tend to follow the decisions of their favourite celebrities because their associations or connections with some items or lifestyles give these commodities a prestigious advantage (Marshall, 2015, p.1). Moreover, celebrities serve as cultural icons that determine fashion trends and increase consumer demand for specific products or experiences. They are essential tools for brand awareness and customer involvement because they can influence global consumer behavior in a variety of ways, such as social media interaction, public appearances, and traditional advertising channels (Um and Jang, 2020 p.2). Celebrity Theories The Goffmanian Approach Sociologist Erving Goffman first explained the Goffmanian approach, providing a comprehensive understanding of what constitutes a celebrity persona in his book, "The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life." Goffman's idea revolves around the notion that people are in impression management—trying to give a picture to others that intentionally influences perception and maintains the identities they desire. Merunkovб and Љlerka (2019, p.246) notes that “Public self-presentation and a certain level of self-disclosure are necessary to create an online identity. The degree of self-disclosure and the content shared by users depend on their goals, motivations and their audience as well as on their privacy concerns, the perceived value of personal information and the value of the service they receive in return.” This approach underlines that celebrities struggle to create the persona of their dreams by using different means like the media, social media platforms, and well-designed public events, with celebrity culture as the foundational framework. Celebrities select the attributes of their persona that they want to showcase or conceal in the same manner as actors on a stage and project themselves to the audience. They aim to portray a specific image while hiding other parts of their lives to avoid complete exposure. In the digital era, where social media functions as omnipresent stages for self-presentation, the performative element of celebrities is particularly manifest. Celebrities take advantage of these platforms to advertise products, reveal their private lives more intimately, and design exceptional images that grab the attention of their fans (Merunkovб and Љlerka, 2019, p.247). The most arresting aspect of celebrity mixture is that every detail of a celebrity's public persona is thoroughly handpicked to sustain a particular story and to keep the appeal level high. The Goffmanian Approach, though insightful regarding the performative aspect of celebrity, simultaneously raises concern over the authenticity and efficacy of its assertions. In a show of popular viewers that requires authenticity and relatability, well-designed celebrities' personalities sometimes appear fake or artificial (Li, 2021, p.225). It is sometimes complicated for celebrities to balance their public expectations with their need for self-expression, leading to feelings of unease or a crisis of identity as they constantly have to present the same image. If they present a picture of perfection, the audience continually looks for the same image and criticizes the individuals if they fail to get it. Therefore, this leads to an artificial image on media platforms. Consequently, the Goffmanian Approach highlights the difficulty of building an authentic identity that is genuine and unmasked, as well as giving an understanding of the theatrical nature of celebrity culture. Goffman’s conception of impression management can relate to what Kim Kardashian is doing on different social media channels to develop her brand image. Addressing the issue of celebrity exposure in the digital age, Kardashian has to recreate and maintain a polished and lavish representation of herself by being selective about the posts and pictures she posts on her platform.  Star Theory The star theory posits that stars are not merely individuals but rather products of a comprehensive entity that serves a variety of purposes, chiefly financial ones. Richard Dyer, a renowned theorist in this field, asserts that audiences cast famous actors as reality characters, encouraging viewers to relate to them through their actions, leading to the sale of films and music. "Dyer believes that celebrities are constructed to represent ' real people' experiencing real emotions to relate to audiences and sell products such as films or music" (Theorising Celebrity 1, p. 13). In essence, people use superstars to create a demand for mass appeal and generate sufficient revenue for institutions to sustain their beliefs and existence in society. Dyer asserts that the development of celebrities allows them to behave like "real people" with emotions. This demonstrates the significant focus on the creation of celebrity identities. Media outlets put much effort into moulding people's perceptions of celebrities, selecting stories that evoke sympathy and a feeling of commonality among viewers (Archer et al., 2020, p.27). This procedure involves building a personable image and skilfully dealing with problems and crises. Institutions are attempting to increase customer engagement and revenue by instilling a sense of closeness and familiarity in their audiences through the skilfully handled portrayal of celebrity personalities. Marilyn Monroe is a crucial example of how the principle of star theory plays out; film studios hoped to bring in large amounts of money by manufacturing...