Male idols and branding in Chinese luxury : fashion, cosmetics, and popular culture
/ Amanda Sikarskie.
- First edition.
- 272 pages
Includes index.
Preface: "Are you that unicorn?" — Introductions: Peacocks: A Primer on Idols and Marketing in China — Exploring the Relationship Between Fashion Brands, Culture Idols and Fans: The Power of Naming as Market Strategy — Aloof White Peony of Luoyang: Subverting Celebrity Styling — Capitalizing Yaoi / Danmei Fans: Fashion Brands and Male Popular Culture Idols as Brand Ambassadors in the Chinese Fashion Market — A Comparative Perspective: Korean K-Pop Idols as Brand Ambassadors — Conclusions: Fashionable Avatars and Virtual Reality Idols: The Aura of the Digital and the Aura of the Original — Glossary — Index.
"Taking a non-westerncentric approach, challenging the Western view of idols as objects of worship, this book examines idols in the more modern, pan-Asian sense of the word; as objects of social devotion, worshipped by the adoring masses and, in China and Korea, as objects of social and moral uplift. The contemporary idol wields great power - the power to influence taste, and to sell - and Male Idols and Branding in Chinese Luxury focuses on their ability to arouse the consumer appetite to buy. In China, popular culture idols play a vital role in the luxury fashion and cosmetics industries as brand ambassadors and this volume fills a critical gap in the English-language literature on this key element of the marketing industry, bringing together authors from the United States and China, and featuring case studies on idols Wang Yibo and Xiao Zhan. Male Idols and Branding in Chinese Luxury is invaluable reading for all those interested in this major element of Chinese marketing."--