Surveillance and Branding in Reality Television

An in depth look at the show Rich Kids of Beverly Hills

Catherine BlockDr. Ted Gournelos

Mass Media & Society28 April 2015

Background• Topic:

• Reality television and surveillance• Why do people want to be on reality television?

• To become famous, branding?• Surveillance

• Does it seem like reality television stars know they are being watched?

• Do they change their behavior for the cameras on their social media accounts? Why?

• Case study: Rich Kids of Beverly Hills• First aired on January 19, 2014 on E!• 1 million viewers each episode• Renewed for third season spin off called Rich Kids of NYC

Literature Review• Source 1: The Promotion and Presentation of the Self: Celebrity as Marker of

Presentational Media by David P. Marshall• I am using this article because it coincides with my research about

celebrity self surveillance and how that affects their on-screen and off-screen personas (including social media posts)

• Source 2: Tweet This, Not That: A Comparison Between Brand Promotions in Microblogging Environments Using Celebrity and Company- Generated Tweets by Natalie T. Wood and Janee N. Burkhalter• “These findings suggest that the real value of Twitter is its ability to draw

information to and educated consumers about brands as well as to encourage consumers to seek out additional information from other sources”

• I am using this article because it coincides with my research about using various forms of social media to generate brand awareness for people and products

Literature Review 2• Source 3: Media, Celebrities, and Social Influence

• I am using this article because it is about people who are exposed to people in the meida and end up developing extraordinary psychological relationships with celebrities and tend to adopt their attitudes, behaviors, values, and beliefs.

• The stars on Rich Kids of Beverly Hills do a good job of branding their wealthy lifestyle that they are developing haters due to jealousy

• Source 4: Celebrities Impact on Branding• I am using this article because it shows how companies use celebrities to

promote the company’s brand as well the celebrity’s own personal brand• Source 5: Celebrity Endorsements and Beyond: New Avenues for Celebrity

Branding• I am using this article because it is about the new generation of branding

for celebrities: social media and its effectiveness

Method 1: Content Analysis• Content analysis of 3 cast member’s social media posts for the past

3 months on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram • Common themes I found:

• Self promotion• Selfies• Food• Fashion

• Business promotion• Posts about the show• Posts about personal businesses

• Blogs, jewelry design, interior design

Method 2: Discourse Analysis• What people were saying about the construction of wealth as a

branding tool in reality television• 20 YouTube videos in the last 3 years

• On reality television shows and news stories about Rich Kids of Instagram

• Coded for 5 themes on a scale from 0-3• 0 not present 3 strongly present

• Themes• Wealth• Insults• Talk about them like they know them• Appearance• Envy of lifestyle

Discussion• Discourse analysis: 2 main themes:

• Self promotion• Selfies, food, and fashion

• Business promotion• Post about the show, post about own business

ventures• 2 most prevalent themes in YouTube videos

• Insults and money• Talk about them like we know them, envy of lifestyle, and

talk about appearance are also important• These results are congruent with the idea that the

construction of wealth leads to brand development in reality television and social media

So What???• According to my sources, social media is an not an accurate

expression of self but a way to express the self that you want to be. This confirms my point that the reality stars that I have chosen to analyze often portray their best self on social media to show their followers their ideal self which does not necessarily mean their actual self. My findings also state that the ideal self that celebrities portray is an effective way to sell a wide variety of products. This supports my theory that the stars of Rich Kids of Beverly Hills are using the celebrity garnered from the show to promote their own personal brands and their own personal businesses.

ReferencesMarshall, P. David. “The promotion and presentation of the self: celebrity as marker of presentational media.” Celebrity studies 1, no. 1 (2010): 35-48.

Wood, Natalie T. & Burkhalter, Janee N. “Tweet this, not that: A comparison between brand promotions in microblogging environments using celebrity and company- generated tweets.” Journal of Marketing Communications 20, no. 1 (2014). 129-146.

Benson P. Frasier & William J. Brown (2002) Media, Celebrities, and Social Influence: Identification With Elvis Presley, Mass Communication and Society, 5:2, 183-206.

Schlecht, Christina. “Celebrities’ impact on branding.” Center on Global Brand Leadership, Columbia: Columbia Business School (2003).

Astrid Keel & Rajan Nataraajan. “Celebrity Endorsements and Beyond: New Avenues for Celebrity Branding.” Psychology, Marketing, and Celebrities 29, no. 9 (2012). 690-703.