Celebrity endorsement
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What is the value of celebrities working with charities?
Band Aid, the fund-raising musical collective, first harnessed the power of the celebrity on a mass scale, when in 1984 they raised money to alleviate famine in Ethiopia. Since then there have been a multitude of celebrities working with charities and Non-Government Organisations (NGOs). The question remains, is a celebrity's endorsement essential for a charity to communicate their message to a wider audience in these celebrity-obsessed times?
We spoke to Canadian student Andrea Paolini at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, part of the School of Advanced Studies at the University of London, who undertook a Master's dissertation on celebrity endorsement as part of her MA in Understanding and Securing Human Rights. Her research focused on human rights campaigns and the use of celebrities to help raise a charity's profile and highlight human rights abuse.
“The involvement of celebrated actors in human rights campaigning is a complicated issue,” Andrea explained. The primary function of celebrity involvement is to raise public awareness and funds in support of a particular cause. Andrea's research investigated what authority a celebrity has to speak on behalf of a human rights claimant.
Andrea primarily focused on the ‘A-list' Hollywood actors associated with human rights organisations such as Angelina Jolie and Madonna. In recent years, there has been a growing trend of celebrities not only supporting charities but also creating their own and Andrea gives the example of Madonna's charity, Raising Malawi. She believes that celebrity endorsements are neither wholly good nor entirely bad but such endorsements raise serious ethical questions.
London is home to a unique multicultural community and the international NGO community is as equally diverse. “Studying in London has enriched my academic experience and allowed me to gain significant international experience,” Andrea said.
London also offers students an opportunity to gain essential work and volunteering experience. Andrea undertook a six-month internship at PEN International, an organisation that defends freedom of expression around the world.
Whether or not celebrity involvement in complex issues has a wholly positive effect, it is here to stay.
Posted: Tuesday 9 February 2010