TY - JOUR
T1 - Resolving contradictions in human brand celebrity and iconicity
AU - Eagar, Toni
AU - Lindridge, Andrew
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 by Emerald Group Publishing Limited All rights of reproduction in any form reserved.
PY - 2015
Y1 - 2015
N2 - Purpose-The academic discourse around celebrity and iconicity has resulted in the same human brand as labeled as an inauthentic and illegitimate celebrity and as a culturally important symbol of legitimate achievement. We address the research question of how are contradictions between celebrity and iconicity resolved in creating and managing a human brand. Methodology/approach-Using structuration theory, we analyzed David Bowie's 50 year career, from 1964 to 2013, totaling 562 documents. Applying Langley's (1999) stages of data collection of grounding, organizing, and replicating, we develop a process of model of celebrity and iconicity. Findings-We identify three stages of human brand symbolic associations: forming, fixing, and transitioning associations. These represent alternate trajectories that Bowie and Ziggy Stardust followed to become icons. In resolving his trajectories across these stages, Bowie adapts and adopts commercial materials, business practices, and new technologies to converge his symbolic associations into a coherent iconic human brand. Research limitations/implications-Limitations of this paper lie in focusing on one human brand in a particular industry. Future research is suggested in three areas: (1) the relationship between the proposed model and other human brand activities; (2) to explore how the process is manipulated by other market agents; and (3) whether a human brand's association shifts can precede culture. Originality/value-This perspective challenges existing conceptualizations of celebrity and iconicity by framing them as inter-related processes, where celebrity associations are fixed in time, while iconic associations transition across time periods to reflect changing cultural values and concerns.
AB - Purpose-The academic discourse around celebrity and iconicity has resulted in the same human brand as labeled as an inauthentic and illegitimate celebrity and as a culturally important symbol of legitimate achievement. We address the research question of how are contradictions between celebrity and iconicity resolved in creating and managing a human brand. Methodology/approach-Using structuration theory, we analyzed David Bowie's 50 year career, from 1964 to 2013, totaling 562 documents. Applying Langley's (1999) stages of data collection of grounding, organizing, and replicating, we develop a process of model of celebrity and iconicity. Findings-We identify three stages of human brand symbolic associations: forming, fixing, and transitioning associations. These represent alternate trajectories that Bowie and Ziggy Stardust followed to become icons. In resolving his trajectories across these stages, Bowie adapts and adopts commercial materials, business practices, and new technologies to converge his symbolic associations into a coherent iconic human brand. Research limitations/implications-Limitations of this paper lie in focusing on one human brand in a particular industry. Future research is suggested in three areas: (1) the relationship between the proposed model and other human brand activities; (2) to explore how the process is manipulated by other market agents; and (3) whether a human brand's association shifts can precede culture. Originality/value-This perspective challenges existing conceptualizations of celebrity and iconicity by framing them as inter-related processes, where celebrity associations are fixed in time, while iconic associations transition across time periods to reflect changing cultural values and concerns.
KW - Brand icons
KW - Celebrity
KW - David Bowie
KW - Human brands
KW - Iconicity
KW - Structuration theory
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84947740888&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1108/S0885-211120150000017015
DO - 10.1108/S0885-211120150000017015
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84947740888
SN - 0885-2111
VL - 17
SP - 311
EP - 330
JO - Research in Consumer Behavior
JF - Research in Consumer Behavior
ER -