As I have continued to investigate the nature of celebrity endorsements, I have been exploring what actually gives the celebrity his or her power. According to P. David Marshall’s Celebrity and Power: Fame in Contemporary Culture, the celebrities are able to assert their power because they are so well-known, thus creating a “definable and publicizable personality” (11). This is not just the ability to harness a great deal of attention and popularity, but the fact that the celebrity becomes a “valued human identity,” which possesses convertibility of value. In this way, the celebrity is conceptualized as “pure exchange value points.” (19).
It is rather difficult to assess what "power" really means, however, Forbes breaks this system of ranking down according to pay scale by the million, web rank, press rank and television rank. According the the chart below, it is shocking to see that Angelina Jolie ranks first, when she earns $27 million, in comparison to Oprah's $275 million and Madonna's $110 million. However, the Forbes ranking suggests that it is not wealth that is power, but the sheer amount of force that a celebrity predominates the media landscape. With a web rank and television rank of 3, and press rank of 5, it is seen that Angelina draws her celebrity power from the frequency by which she is in the public eye. The Forbes video indicates that Angelina has not only starred in various films, but she has appeared on a record number of magazine covers, constantly in the media for her relationship with Brad, her children and her philanthropic work here and overseas.
This is an interesting point of analysis as people often believe that it is wealth that contributes most to power. Jolie's high rankings is actually a testament to the fact that consumers don't just want a pretty face, but look for that unique and engaging personality, which I previously referred to as "valued human identity." In fact, the Forbes video mentions that the Rihanna and Chris Brown controversy kept the young pop star in the media, but not for very long. Due to the fact that Jolie is able to create interest for a prolonged period of time, she possesses that power that is central to an effective media endorsement.Name Pay ($mil) Web Rank Press Rank TV Rank 1 Angelina Jolie 27 3 5 3 2 Oprah Winfrey 275 4 8 2 3 Madonna 110 9 6 8 4 Beyonce Knowles 87 2 20 16 5 Tiger Woods 110 54 4 4 6 Bruce Springsteen 70 32 19 25 7 Steven Spielberg 150 48 26 48 8 Jennifer Aniston 25 6 30 21 9 Brad Pitt 28 11 7 6 10 Kobe Bryant 45 53 10 15