2004: the first post-9/11, post-hanging chad and dimpled ballots, post-weapons of mass destruction, post-Iraq War presidential election. As a country, we were in a different place than we had been four short years before. There was new sense of urgency. As ten Democrats sought the nomination to challenge President George W. Bush, the endorsements commenced. Beyond the typical newspaper and...

As the demands of society and the marketplace change, so must strategies for reaching publics and key stakeholders. Whether it’s an athletic brand, a travel destination, a retailer, or a political candidate or issue, creating a brand and promoting that brand to its various publics is critical to success. In the past, organizations employed a variety of functions to do this. In 1980, through...

In today’s political climate, we, as media consumers, are faced with a multitude of political messages. Just checking Facebook alone, we see countless posts from the political figures that we follow, news articles from a variety of media organizations, political commentary from both our “friends” and an assortment of celebrities, whether actors, musicians, or athletes. And that...

In chapter 2, we looked at the source—what is it about a message’s source that may impact our reception of a persuasive message? Whether low involvement or high involvement, a celebrity’s “celebrity” provides them a degree of influence, either as a peripheral cue or evidence. But receivers play a part in this process too. In this chapter, we look at the receiver side...

For decades, Hollywood A-listers and Washington Insiders have frequently traveled in the same circles and celebrities have taken to endorsing political candidates. Today, however, “the line between Hollywood and Washington has virtually disappeared” (Cannon, 2003, p. 22). Celebrity endorsements have become necessities for both political causes and political candidates....

The 2016 presidential election defied conventional political marketing practices, as two very different yet strikingly similar candidates—neither appearing presidential, touting politically correct positions, possessing political experience, or even appearing qualified to run for office—took the country by storm with their populist messages, emotional themes, and strong branding...

With its celebrity candidates and endorsements, Election 2016 may have seemed like a peak year for the role of celebrity in American politics, but as we have moved beyond 2016, we have only seen celebrity involvement grow. In the past, it was a novelty to see the politically active celebrity, and the audience took notice. Post-2016, it has become an expectation related to fame. It is more...

As the 2020 election begins its approach, we see celebrities gearing up. In a race between the sitting president/celebrity-in-chief and a field of Democrats with a variety of progressive platforms, which campaign will spark a revolution? During the 2018 midterms, women ran and won races in historic numbers, and celebrities stood behind a slew of candidates, including Rihanna and DJ Khaled’s...

During the 2004, 2008, and 2012 presidential elections, presidential candidates had some of the biggest stars in Hollywood at their sides endorsing their candidacy. These celebrities are symbols of support to a candidate, and if voters identify with the celebrities, then the celebrities’ supporters would follow suit and back the candidate (Payne, Hanlon, & Tworney, 2007).

Jennifer Brubaker, PhD, is an associate professor in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. She earned her PhD in political communication and media effects at Kent State University and her master’s degree in journalism and undergraduate degree in business from the Ohio State University. At UNCW, Dr. Brubaker...

Integrated marketing communication (IMC) is a holistic approach to the areas of advertising, public relations, branding, promotions, event and experiential marketing, and related fields of strategic communication. This series seeks to ground IMC with communication ethics in order to take the theory and practice of IMC beyond a critical and deconstructive understanding and into new areas of...