What’s the Point of Celebrity Speakers?
February 22, 2010 by admin
Filed under Writing and Speaking
The force of celebrity is unquestionable. They sell magazines, papers plus they lead us to switch on and tune in daily. They have an effect on the clothing consumers put on, the products people use plus the foods we eat, or not. Just what exactly, then, is the point of the celebrity speaker within our undoubtedly celebrity obsessed world? Surely the many more understated endorsements, or rather the more conventional types, such as Television adverts and so on, are a good enough intrusion into and influence on us without the famed becoming celebrity speaker at anything from political rallies, to store openings to charitable dinners?
The celebrity speaker is ever more prevalent and powerful. Regardless of whether it’s of their own accord or because of a big hire price, it is more common than ever to see some kind of celeb or other at events. Notable examples of celebrities becoming speaker are that of Bob Geldoff and the band of celebrity crusaders with a conscience, utilizing their popularity and influence to increase recognition of the predicament of the hungry.
More recently than that, celebrity speakers are being seen trying to play more of a political function. There’s Jamie Oliver and his one-man war on processed foods and even more recently there was the case of Arlene Phillips getting into governmental politics as the dance tsar.
Irrespective of whether we like it or not, then, the celebrity speaker is more prominent today than ever. Not anymore do celebrities just have an effect on vogue and beauty; today’s celebrity speaker has a valid message. What use for the celebrity speaker? The young look up to celebrities and also the more adult people amongst us must confess to being a tad fascinated with what they have to talk about. Their popularity is alluring and they are role models, no matter whether we like it or not. Therefore if the celebrity speaker will be able to push forward a charity’s cause, send a clear message to improve the nation’s health or stir up a bit of curiosity about politics, then certainly they have got a place. And not only a place: a responsibility, to utilize their sway responsibly.
