Assignment 1-4-4

Written Analysis 3: Heroes and The Cult of the Celebrity

Kristen Watson

HUMN240-H3WW

Assignment 1-4-4

Gregory Smith

December 1, 2012

Written Analysis 3: Heroes and The Cult of the Celebrity

            When it comes to my topic of energy drinks, one might not think to associate them with heroes but if you have ever seen the advertisements or commercials then it would become clear. Ray B. Browne (2005) defines heroes as “those people among us who are in some way superior. They inspire us and lead the way for us to develop outside the limitations of our own skins and circumstances and become greater and more important individuals.” The brands of energy drinks chose certain heroes to represent their products because they know the consumer would recognize them and hopefully gain sales.

            Monster Energy sponsors Rob Dyrdek, who is a professional skateboarder from Kettering, Ohio. He started skateboarding at a very young age and at 16 moved to California to pursue his professional career. He has become a hero to many people of all ages because of his dedication to the skateboarding community. So far he has opened up 9 Skate plazas throughout the United States and plans on more in the future. His goal is to create healthy communities by creating legal street skating areas where other people can enjoy skateboarding and pursue their dreams. Rob Dyrdek is just one of many celebrity heroes that represent energy drinks. Other examples include Travis Pastrana with Monster Energy and Reggie Bush with Red Bull.

            If we take a look at the heroes that were mentioned above, we may notice that in reality they are the cult of the celebrity. In other words, they have obtained celebrity status for no particular identifiable reason. They are still heroes to many people but what they have done to get that title isn’t necessarily heroic. One is an actor and professional skateboarder, one a professional football player, and the other a professional dirt bike rider. However they still inspire others to become greater individuals and the makers of the energy drinks realize this and use it to their advantage to increase sales and profits.  

References

Browne, Ray B. (2005). Profiles of popular culture: A reader (p. 13). Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press.

Wikipedia. (2012, November 29). Famous for being famous. Retrieved on December 1, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Famous_for_being_famous.