Nerd Up: The Rise of Nerd Media and the Co-Optation of Narrative in Advertising

Nerd Up: The Rise of Nerd Media and Co-Optation of Narrative in Advertising Advertisements are rooted in the Narrative Paradigm; they produce a good story that is probable and relevant to the consumer’s life. In the interest of relevance, advertisers often borrow narratives from cinema which increases the probability of narrative recognition among the consumers. The construction of narrative is predicated upon the ability of the advertiser to create a protagonist or spokesperson that can satisfy audience expectations and inspire the viewer to accept the brand message. Thus, classic cinematic heroes or likenesses dominate the advertising world. In light of recent economic struggles and shifting modes of production, the successful and fiscally responsible nerd has stolen the spotlight from the classic Joseph Campbell hero/adventurer. Given the rise of the nerd in cinema, advertising narratives have started to include this atypical character. The nerds that are represented in advertising are not the same as the nerds in cinema. Nerds in film are often portrayed as Jewish or African Americans; in advertising, nerd qualities are co-opted into a character that is exclusively Caucasian and stripped of all religious identifiers for mass consumption. Yet, the nerd has the ability to appeal to white audiences as well as minority demographics such as African Americans, Jews, and Homosexuals because the character embodies semiotic signifiers of difference. This makes the nerd the most versatile spokesperson because he can reach broad demographics without incriminating the brand

Narrativizing the Holidays: Event Branding through Commodity Narrative Campaigns

Event planning and coordination often view events to be standalone, existing only until the event has passed. However, this thesis looks to serialize events to exist long after a single event takes place. Through the application of narrative, myth, and floating signification through the lens of semiotics theory, this thesis aims to create evergreen content for public relations practitioners in their efforts to promote events. The contents of this thesis focus on theory and application, allowing the two to enrich one another. Furthermore, this thesis practically applies foundational concepts from scholars like Fiske (1987, 1990) and Barthes (1957, 1970, 1978) to content created for a local brand, Towne Square Jewelers. In partnering with Towne Square Jewelers, this thesis creates narratives for three holidays treated as events: Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and Galentine’s Day. Formulation of narrative to serialize events is based on the serialized content of Hallmark (Larson, 2019) and their use of “Acts” to maintain story structure while switching out paradigmatic elements. Furthermore, this thesis used first-person perspective to immerse audiences in the experiences demonstrated through the visual content created

Narrativizing the Holidays: Event Branding through Commodity Narrative Campaigns

Event planning and coordination often view events to be standalone, existing only until the event has passed. However, this thesis looks to serialize events to exist long after a single event takes place. Through the application of narrative, myth, and floating signification through the lens of semiotics theory, this thesis aims to create evergreen content for public relations practitioners in their efforts to promote events. The contents of this thesis focus on theory and application, allowing the two to enrich one another. Furthermore, this thesis practically applies foundational concepts from scholars like Fiske (1987, 1990) and Barthes (1957, 1970, 1978) to content created for a local brand, Towne Square Jewelers. In partnering with Towne Square Jewelers, this thesis creates narratives for three holidays treated as events: Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and Galentine’s Day. Formulation of narrative to serialize events is based on the serialized content of Hallmark (Larson, 2019) and their use of “Acts” to maintain story structure while switching out paradigmatic elements. Furthermore, this thesis used first-person perspective to immerse audiences in the experiences demonstrated through the visual content created