Celebrity brand break-up: fan experiences of para-loveshock

Scott Jones*, James Cronin, Maria G. Piacentini

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)
111 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

When consumers become fans of celebrities, they can form intense emotional attachments that resemble a kind of love. Although the love felt for celebrities is based on one-sided parasocial relationships, fans nevertheless experience a trauma that they consider to be very real when these illusory relationships end. We explore how fans manage and perform their break-up with a beloved celebrity brand following public allegations of wrongdoing. Building on Giddens’ theorization of loveshock – which encapsulates the disorienting after-effects of falling out of love – we propose the new concept of para-loveshock. Para-loveshock is performed socially and discursively through three fan practices: grief enfranchisement; flagellation; and indignation. Recognizing how fans perform and legitimize their trauma through these practices helps to sensitize managers to the importance of consumer identity work following celebrity transgressions. This has implications for how damage control efforts are planned and how managers engage with fans when responding to celebrity transgression.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)720-731
Number of pages12
JournalJournal of Business Research
Volume145
Early online date23 Mar 2022
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2022

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
Maria Piacentini is Professor of Consumer Research at Lancaster University Management School and is Director of the Centre for Consumption Insights. Her research focuses on vulnerable consumers coping with difficult marketplaces, and her work has been funded by the British Academy, ESRC, NERC, Barnardo’s, and the European Foundation for Alcohol Research. She has been published in a range of journals, including: Marketing Theory, Sociology, Sociology of Health & Illness, Journal of Business Research, European Journal of Marketing and Journal of Marketing Management. She is also co-editor of Consumer Vulnerability: Conditions, Contexts and Characteristics (Routledge, 2016). Address: Lancaster University Management School, Lancaster University, Bailrigg, Lancaster LA1 4YX, UK.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Elsevier Inc.

Keywords

  • Celebrity brand
  • Fandom
  • Giddens
  • Loveshock
  • Parasocial relationships
  • Transgression

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Marketing

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