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Leadership and management Successful leadership This report will focus on defining the terms leadership and management and explore theoretical concepts concerning how to be a successful leader. This report will be divided into four sections, in order to answer four individual questions, to conclude how to be a successful leader, whether traits, skills and styles can be developed, or are innate, the difference between leadership and management and a conclusion concerning the experiences learnt within this module. Contents What is involved in being a successful leader? Traits Skills Styles Can successful leadership be developed? What distinguishes leadership from management? What else have you learnt? Conclusion What is involved in being a successful leader? In order to become a successful leader, it is essential that an individual has certain qualities and behaviours. These can be easily categorised into three subdivisions - traits, skills and styles. Research has led to a theoretical analysis of personalities and behaviours required, that lead to successful leadership. In addition, research has shown behaviours and personalities that consequently are ineffective, and lead to poor leadership. This question will answer what is involved in being a successful leader, and includes references to theories concerning traits, skills and styles, as well as approaches and models. In order to become a successful leader, an individual should demonstrate a combination of qualities, ranging from integrity and support, to responsibility and dependence. This equal balance ensures success within social and follower aspects of the organisation, as well as maintaining an ordered, structured working environment, where responsibility is delegated. Traits When referring to idealistic traits, research has often concluded that in order to be a successful leader, individuals should have the ability to demonstrate personality traits such as confidence, integrity, and supportiveness. To support this idea, Ralph Stogdill (1948) defined a list of what he deemed to be common leadership traits. These include; capacity (intelligence and communication), achievement (mental), responsibility (dependable), participation (valuable social skills) and status (popularity). In addition, research from Kirtpatrick and Locke (1991) also defined a list of major leadership traits. They concluded that there are six most important traits needed for successful leadership, these include; drive, self confidence, integrity, leadership motivation, intellect and expertise in context. Their research also defined these critical personality traits. The first personality trait, drive, is stated to be shown in an individual who embodies energy, tenacity and initiative. The second trait, self confidence, is said to be defined by an individual who inspires trust, emotional stability and has a tolerance of stress. Thirdly, they stated that an individual needs to have integrity, which involves honesty and the ability to be morally committed. The fourth trait, leadership motivation includes the ability of commitment to pursue individual gain (personalised) and the ability to seek others to achieve (socialised). Intellect is another key personality trait and is stated to include analytic ability, judgement and the ability to think strategically. Lastly, expertise in context is said to involve having in depth knowledge of a business, as well as longevity of experience. Skills Furthermore, in order to become a successful leader, research has found that it is necessary to be in abundance of certain skills. Research from Katz (1955) found that there were three key skills that an individual must have in order to become a successful leader. Firstly, it is stated that it is necessary to demonstrate technical skills, such as by having knowledge of specific types of work. Secondly, it is said that a leader must also have human skills, which involves the ability to have knowledge about, and be able to work with people. Lastly, Katz stated that a successful leader must have conceptual skills, which is described as having mental proficiency to shape the meaning of an organisation policy. To comprise this into a usable model, tests have been created in which individuals can use in order to find out what category their personality is more cohesive with. Paul Costa and Robert McCrea’s Five Factor Personality Model is a ‘model of personality trait structure’ (Costa, P & McCrae, R, 2017, 6) and includes five categories; neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness and conscientiousness. The model is designed using a self report questionnaire, in which individuals score themselves against a list of statements (such as, ‘strongly agree’ or ‘strongly disagree’) based on how they would describe their personality. The model then uses this to calculate how accurately their personality is suited within each category. Those with a high score within the ‘neuroticism’ category are said to be described by the model as being depressed, anxious, insecure and vulnerable. Contrastingly, those scoring high in the extraversion personality trait are described as being sociable, assertive and positive. Thirdly, the openness personality trait is described as cohesive towards those who are seen to present qualities such as being informed, creative, insightful and curious. Additionally, agreeableness scores higher with those described as being accepting, conforming, trusting and nurturing. Lastly, the trait of conscientiousness scores high with those who are organised, controlled and dependable. This research into personality traits supports my initial argument that a leader must demonstrate a balance of skills, such as Katz’s statement that there is a requirement of human and technical skills that a successful leader must have. Styles The styles and behaviours of a leader is also crucial in being successful. “Leadership effectiveness may be explained and developed by identifying appropriate styles and behaviour.” (Pendleton & Furnham, 2012: 12) The following research concerns leadership behaviours, and how leaders act. Research from a study by Ohio State (1940s) defined two types of behaviours, initiating structure and consideration. Their research consisted of a questionnaire, with the purpose of finding out the number of times leaders (across a wide background including military, industry, education) demonstrated certain behaviours. Ohio State defined initiating structure (task behaviours) as leaders who organise work, give structure to their subordinates, schedule work and activities and act with responsibility. Secondly, they defined consideration (relationship behaviours) as leaders who demonstrate respect and support towards their subordinates. From this research, Stogdill (1959) defined a list of twelve leadership behaviours. These include representation, demand reconciliation, tolerance of uncertainty, persuasiveness, initiation of structure, tolerance and freedom, role assumption, consideration, production emphasis, predictive accuracy, integration and superior orientation. This list also coincides with Ohio State’s findings, and includes the definition of initiating structure and consideration. Further research from Judge et al (2004) in The Forgotten Ones? The Validity of Consideration and Initiating Structure in Leadership research concerned whether initiating structure and consideration correlate with the concept of successful leadership. This research supports my argument that it is necessary to have a balanced combination of both behaviours. This is because initiating structure was found to have a greater impact on the subordinate work ethic and performance, but consideration was found to have a better effect on the mental well being and satisfaction of subordinates. Additionally, a later study to the Ohio State research was by the University of Michigan (1950) and was conducted concerning the effectiveness of leader behaviour within small groups. They researched employee orientation, to focus on human relations and production orientation (which focuses on the work within a job itself). To support this, Rensis Likert (1960) created a list of four management systems, ranging from one - exploitative authority, benevolent authority, consultative and system four - participative. Exploitative authority concerns the event at which a leader demonstrates minimal involvement, and pushes motivation through use of fear and punishment. Benevolent authority is used to describe the instance when a leader demonstrates minimal involvement, but encourages motivation through use of rewards. Consultative is described as when information is shared and there is an increased amount of teamwork. Lastly, participative concerns leaders who are involved in making decisions and actively practise open communication. This effectively leads to high levels of trust. Moreover, Robert House's Path-Goal theory (1971) can demonstrate additional research concerning the styles of a successful leader. The Path Goal Theory concerns the ways in which leaders motivate subordinates to achieve designated goals and how clear they make the path for subordinates from effort to reward. From this, we can learn that the leader’s style is important as, essentially, the approach concerns removing obstacles which prevent employees from product. This research also supports my argument that to be a successful leader, an individual must demonstrate a combination of qualities, including good communication, integrity and support, as well as responsibility and authority. Using this research, a successful leader would be described as participative, as they lead to high levels of trust. Can a good leadership be developed, and if so, how? This question concerns whether successful leadership can be developed. There are many debates concerning whether the characteristics of good leadership can be consciously developed, or whether they are innate. It is arguable that leaders can develop certain personality traits, however some may be arguably innate. Using the research stated in the previous question, there is potential for an individual to adapt personality traits such as openness, extraversion and tenacity, as they can all be described as situational, relative to the situation at that specific time. For example, someone may develop the ability of openness, after positive encouragement and experience. Similarly, extraversion can be developed when an individual is around certain groups of people, as well as tenacity and persistence However, it is also arguable that personality traits such as morality, trust and integrity are innate, as they are not necessarily always easily altered or diminished with development. According to philosopher Plato, rulers needed to have intelligence and the right personality in order to be successful. Another key point is that qualities needed to be a successful leader are suggested to be situational, which could suggest that qualities can be developed, depending on the situation. One of the key approaches was found in research by Hersey and Blanchad (1969) who formed the situational approach to personality. The situational approach was described as being demonstrated when leaders match their style to the ability of their subordinates. As this is a situational theory, it depends on the situation at which someone can be categorised as presenting these personality traits. For example, if the situation requires a greater deal of support, then the leader is not necessarily wrong in emphasising this personality trait. Such supportive behaviours are described as vital to successful leadership. Supportive behaviours include positive, two way communication between leader and subordinate, as well as being intent with listening and praise. The concept of support is something arguably able to be developed. As part of the Situational Approach, these are divided into four combinations; high directive and low support, high directive and high support, low direct and low support, low directive and high support. High directive and low support is described as occurring in the event that a leader focuses highly on communication of goal achievement, but less on supporting their subordinates. High directive and high support is the equal combination of behaviours, and involves both positive encouragement and leadership direction. Low directive and low support is presented when a leader emphasises employees skills but delegates decision making Low directive and high support is described as occurring when a leader offers less task input, but a high amount of social support. This research supports my argument as the most effective behaviour combination is high directive and high support, and such behaviours can be developed given the correct situation. Moreover, to support this the leader-match theory essentially matches leaders to appropriate situations, and the leader's effectiveness depends on how well the leader style fits the context. This means that what it takes to be a successful leader is not completely linear, and can be dependent on the situation itself, rather than solely the personality of the leader. However, in contrast to this argument, research from Thomas Carlyle (1946) formed the ‘Great man’ theory in his collection on ‘heroes, hero worship and the heroic in history’. The ‘great man’ theory states that only some people have the characteristics that it takes to be leaders. His theory explains that qualities that result in being a successful leader are inherited and innate, rather than being developed. This conclusion subsequently led to further research on general characteristics of the behaviours that distinguish between ‘ordinary’ people within a society and those that are leaders. This led to research on general characteristics - psychological, biological and behavioural that distinguish leaders from other humans. This research contrasts to my argument that many qualities needed for successful leadership, such as confidence, patience, support and communication can be taught and developed, as Carlyle suggest that only certain individuals have the characteristics needed for successful leadership. However it does somewhat support my argument that certain qualities, such as morality and ethical value are less developmental, and can be described as innate. What distinguishes leadership from management? Once exploring research defining the qualities and characteristics of a successful leader, it is also necessary to define what it means to be a manager. Essentially, the key difference between a leader and a manager is that the skills needed to be a manager are easier to acquire. It is possible to learn managerial skills more than it is to learn leadership skills. It is arguably easier to learn to manage and support a team, but not necessarily lead them to a goal. From the research stated throughout this report, it is argued that leadership is much more extensive and requires multiple personality types, such as specific skills, traits and styles, as well as behavioural approaches. Leadership is also argued by many theorists to be innate, whereas managerial qualities are much less imperative and are arguably easier to develop, rather than needed to be innate. In her work in Curse of the superstar CEO, Rakesh Khurana states that the secret to being a successful CEO, is assumed to be leadership, and such leaders must demonstrate qualities such as ‘strategic thinking, industry knowledge and political persuasiveness.’ (Rakesh Khurana, 2002) Khurana goes on to say that ‘companies will not be satisfied with an executive who is merely talented and experienced. Companies now want leaders.’ (Kurana, 2002). This research further demonstrates the strong difference between leadership and managers, as there is a desire for leadership, rather than for managerial positions. What have you learned about leadership from your own experiences on this module and/or elsewhere? From this module, I have learnt that in order to be a successful leader, an individual must hold specific personality qualities. Theorists have presented research that suggests that a successful leader must be an equal balance of integral, supportive, and participative with the purpose of keeping follower motivation high and robust, as well as maintaining a responsible, organised and goal driven personality, to ensure work is completed, and to responsibly lead a group. This combination of personality qualities and behaviours are described as consequently resulting in successful leadership, and a lack of these qualities can result in poor leadership and a lack of motivation. From this module I have also learnt that leadership qualities can be argued as a combination of innate and developed behaviours. Research has shown that certain qualities, such as energy, patience and extraversion can be developed, as they are described as situational. For example, an individual could develop extraversion qualities over time with confidence and encouragement. However, qualities such as trustworthiness and morality are much more innate in their understanding, and while an individual may be able to gain a further understanding through developmental training or experiences, such qualities are much more deep-rooted in their demonstration. Furthermore, information presented outside of this module within the British BBC reality television show ‘The Apprentice’ demonstrates the requirements and qualities needed for successful leadership, as well as presenting the failures of poor leadership. From The Apprentice, audiences can understand the importance of certain qualities that are needed in order to lead a team of individuals, as well as learn which qualities are most effective when completing a set task. The Apprentice also showcases when certain personality traits, skills and styles are ineffective and result in unsuccessful leadership, and issues within the group as a whole. This programme demonstrates to an audience how vital personality qualities are when it comes to a leader being successful within their task, and with their subordinates. Conclusion To conclude, this report considers the qualities an individual must have in order to be a successful leader. These qualities include a combination of good communication, support, integrity and assertiveness, as well as responsibility, direction and dedication. These qualities ensure that leaders are supporting their subordinates and encouraging motivation, as well as responsibly leading and directing for the most effective outcome. Research has supported this argument, as many theorists have claimed that a successful leader is one that demonstrates these qualities, such as describing it as ‘high direction, and high support’. My argument also stated that many of these qualities are developmental, and can be taught - particularly confidence, patience, extraversion, direction and communication. Whereas, qualities such as morality and ethical approaches can be arguably innate, and not necessarily changed. However, research, such as the Great Man theory, has suggested that all key leadership qualities are innate, and that a true, successful leader is not developed. Furthermore, research has also concluded the situational approach, which suggests that leadership values and qualities are situational, and not entirely linear to each situation. This research builds on my argument that a successful leader must demonstrate a combination of qualities in order to balance leadership roles, yet this can be dependent on the situation at hand. References Blanchard, Kenneth (1997) Recognition and situational leadership II, Emergency Librarian, Volume 24, Issue 4 Costa, P & McCrae, R. 2017, The Five-Factor Model, Five-Factor Theory, and Interpersonal Psychology, p.2-16 DOI:10.1002/9781118001868.ch6 Judge, Timothy. (2004) The Forgotten Ones? The Validity of Consideration and Initiating Structure in Leadership Research, Journal of Applied Psychology, Volume 89, P.36-51 DOI: 10.1037/0021-9010.89.1.36 Katz, Robert. (1955) Skills of an effective administrator, Harvard business review, Volume 33, Issue 1 Kirkpatrick, Shelly & Locke, Edwin. (1991) Leadership: do traits matter?, The executive, Volume 5, Issue 2, p.48-60 Khurana, Rakesh (2002 ) The curse of the superstar CEO, Harvard business review, Volume 80, Issue 9 Pendleton, D. & Furnham, A. 2012, Leadership. All you need to know, Primary Health Care Research & Development, Volume 13 DOI:10.1017/S1463423612000370 Stoghill, Ralph. (1947 ) Personal factors associated with leadership; a survey of the literature, the journal of psychology: interdisciplinary and applied, Volume 26

NEWSLETTERS Examples of monthly newsletters I have copywritten and designed for a B2C audience to reach a 500,000+ members contact list. These newsletters boosted both open and click-through rates, subsequently resulting in an increase in website traffic and overall sales.

Report - Creative Industry Project The impact of negative press on the consumerism of influencers Can you market a damaged reputation? ​ This report will discuss the digital marketing and PR industry, academically defining key terms, identifying current trends and comparing research to my dissertation. To begin, the first section of this report will examine and define the current trends shown within this industry; social media campaigns, influencer marketing and user generated content. The second section draws upon a case study of the marketing organisation M&C Saatchi and their work within this industry, discussing their divisions, audience and how they have used current digital marketing trends throughout their previous campaigns. The third section of this report will explore the conceptual overlap between the academic research found within my dissertation literature review, in order to examine the relationship between celebrity gossip journalism and one key current trend - influencer marketing. Lastly, my final section will analyse the findings and analysis chapter of my dissertation to conclusively discuss the information I found within my own research, identifying audience opinions, current developments within the journalism industry and how this benefit the marketing industry. Industry This section will academically define and discuss the concept of digital marketing and explore current trends within the industry, including social media, influencer marketing and UGC (User Generated Content). Defined by David Chaffey as ‘achieving marketing objectives through applying digital media, data and technology’ (Chaffey, 2019:9), the digital marketing industry is a growing business. For advertisers, digital marketing ‘serves to cluster a range of types of media and strategies, including web, mobile, tablet social, locative, wearable and other networked devices capable of contributing to advertising experiences’ (Andrew McStay, 2016: 3) Ryan Damien et al of 'Understanding Digital Marketing: marketing strategies for engaging the digital generation ' states a list of components that will form a successful digital marketing strategy. These involve; 'knowing your business, knowing the competition, knowing your customers, knowing what you want to achieve and knowing how you’re doing.' (Ryan Damien et al, 2012: 23) Current trends A current strategic trend within the digital marketing industry is the use of social media for advertisement campaigns and audience connectivity. In 2021, research found that there were ‘forty five million social media users in the UK’ and the average number of social media accounts per user ‘averaged to 6.9’ (Avocado Social, 2021). Using this information, Chaffey informs us that ‘given the popularity of these social networks, many companies will seek to develop an overall social media strategy.’ (Chaffey, 2019: 172) In order to develop a social media strategy, it is important for businesses to consider how their target audience engages with online media, identifying their most used social platforms and the content they interact with. These networks in particular often include Facebook, Instagram, and also TikTok, as they currently drive the most online traffic, 'Facebook remains the most used platform by marketers worldwide [at] ninety three percent.' (Brent Barnhart, 2022) Correspondingly, the popularity of social media has also caused the development of social media Influencers. Influencers are categorised as individuals who post regularly on their online personal profiles and attract audiences who follow similar interests. Influencers effectively use their personality to influence their following. Due to this, another current trend used by marketing companies is using these influencer profiles throughout their campaigns. Daniel Belanche of 'Understanding influencer marketing: The role of congruence between influencers, products and consumers ' defined influencer marketing as 'marketing communications in which influencers promote a brand's offerings on their own social media pages.' (Daniel Belanche et al, 2021: 186) Influencer marketing can be in the form of brand ambassadors or product advertisers and is strategically used in an aim to attract the businesses target audience. ‘Brands love social media influencers because they can create trends and encourage their followers to buy products they promote.' (Influencer Marketing Hub, 2021). Belanche goes on to note that ‘followers evaluate information more favourably if they perceive their own fit with the influencer but also if the influencer seems to fit well with the product, brand (or) outfit that he/ she is promoting.' (Belanche et al, 2021: 187) Therefore, suggesting that, in order to be successful, it is important that companies connect with influencers who are an appropriate fit for their brand. It is also considerable to recognise the key demographic for social media influencer marketing campaigns. Research has found that '70% of teens trust influencers more than traditional celebrities' (Digital Marketing Institute, 2021). From this statistic, we can learn that currently, teenagers are much more likely to trust and consume a product advertised and endorsed by a social media influencer, making them a key demographic for influencer marketing strategies and campaigns. Lastly, another current trend within the digital marketing industry is the use of UGC (User generated content). UGC is described as ‘content related to [a] brand that is created by someone who is not an official representative of [the] business’. (Ted Vrountas, 2021). Brands are beginning to encourage the use of user generated content as it ‘creates authenticity and credibility’ because ‘it is made by the people who already use [the] products and services’. (McMartin, 2021) I n addition, user generated content is also encouraged for its ability to ‘make customers feel like they are part of the community’ (McMartin, 2021) as individuals can actively share their interests, using creativity, with likeminded individuals. Examples of user generated content include images, videos, podcasts - such as Apple’s ‘#ShotoniPhone’ campaign, aimed at encouraging users to share images and videos that they have personally taken using an iPhone. Organisation Throughout this report, I will be focusing on the marketing and advertising organisation M&C Saatchi Group , particularly their sport and entertainment division. Founded in 1995, M&C Saatchi’s operations span twenty three countries, with major hubs in the UK, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Asia and Australia (M&C Saatchi, 2022) and includes six divisions; Connected Creativity ; Passion Marketing ; Global and Social Issue s; Brand, Experience and Innovation ; Performance Media and Talent Management . Describing themselves as ‘a creative company’, their vision is to ‘value difference, with an inclusive culture brought to life through equity, enabling us to achieve our goals' (M&C Saatchi, 2022), M&C Saatchi work with both national and international organisations to create digital marketing campaigns, many of which feature celebrities and influencers. In reference to current digital marketing trends, M&C Saatchi has notably used social media to launch campaigns such as ‘Where Everyone Plays ’ with international company Coca Cola. This campaign consisted of a one minute video advertisement, uploaded to video sharing platform YouTube, featuring members of the England football team in an aim to promote Coca Cola’s sponsorship of the 2019/20 Premier League. Alongside this, Coca Cola also implemented a digital takeover of the Premier League’s social channels, in order to increase audience engagement. The advert attracted over fifty thousand views within twenty four hours, and generated a 8.4 million reach of Coca Cola’s digital takeover. (M&C Saatchi Sports and Entertainment, 2019) ​ ​ ​ ‘We are proud to work with Coca Cola in leading and implementing multi-channel, multi-geography campaigns for sixteen years and counting’ (M&C Saatchi, 2019) ​ Furthermore, in regards to current trends of digital marketing, M&C Saatchi have also created advertisement campaigns featuring social media influencers, such as ‘The Footlocker Collective ’ , which was created as part of the organisation’s partnership with sport retailer Foot Locker. The campaign features a ‘handpicked group of sneakerheads and lifestyle influencers’ (M&C Saatchi, 2022) modelling their products on online platforms such as Instagram. As a result of this campaign M&C Saatchi reported 16.3 million average impressions across owned social channels. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Footlocker Collective campaign (M&C Saatchi 2017) ​ Additionally, this organisation also uses social media marketing and Influencers to build relationships with audiences through awareness campaigns such as 'Kooth Won't Do It Alone '. Together with an online mental wellbeing organisation, Kooth, the campaign focused on normalising the topic of speaking up about mental health among teenagers and young adults, featuring individuals with a high social media following, such as YouTube content creators Amelia Dimoldenberg and Chunkz, as well as dance DJ Jax Jones. ​ ​ ​ ​ In reference to their campaigns, M&C Saatchi’s leading demographic is typically young adults and teenagers. This is clear by organisation’s presence within online media platforms and the use of influencers throughout their campaigns. As mentioned in the industry chapter, young adults are often the most associated demographic with social media influencers, particularly due to the emergence of content creation, and research stating that a large majority of teenagers are more willing to trust influencers than with traditional celebrities. ​ ​ Conceptual overlap In my dissertation, titled 'Read all about it: celebrity gossip, mental health and popular media culture ', I discussed the issue concerning the ways in which celebrities are presented within UK tabloid gossip journalism and the negative implications that this has on mental health and society. My literature review chapter explored academic concepts of tabloid journalism, specifically regarding the most frequently chosen topics of discussion within celebrity gossip articles and the breaching of privacy and ethics. Using De Backer and Fisher’s theory, we learnt that the two most frequent modes of celebrity discourse is using strategy learning gossip and reputation gossip. The term 'strategy learning gossip' is used to describe the instance in which the content of discourse is less direct and ‘the identity of the person, who is the subject of gossip, is less important, and instead, what happened to the person who is the subject of gossip’ (De Backer and Fisher, 2012: 407). Whereas, reputation gossip concerns who somebody is, therefore impacting the reputation of the subject individual. There is a conceptual overlap between the topics discussed within my literature review and my chosen organisation as, in the event that an individual’s reputation is compromised or damaged by gossip reporting, brands and companies will often make an effort to deter from using them within their campaigns, in order to protect their own reputation. Gossip journalism therefore has, not only, a negative impact on the damaged reputation of the subject, but also for the brand name and reputation if they are already closely affiliated with the influencer through previous campaigns. 'If a famous person is involved in incidents that change, or even damage his or her reputation,[it] can potentially alter perceptions of the brand-celebrity congruence.' (Des Thwaits & Ben Lowe, 2010: 15) Furthermore, as mentioned in the industry chapter, Belache's statement that f ollowers evaluate information more favourably 'if the influencer seems to fit well with the product, brand (or) outfit that he/ she is promoting.' (Belanche et al, 2021: 187) was also supported by Thwaits and Lowe who argued that 'the greater the perceived fit between the brand and the celebrity, the more quickly an associative link between the two can be expected to develop.' (Thwaits & Lowe, 2010, 14). In the event of reputation gossip, this association can consequently result in further complications for the campaign and brand overall, as followers recognise an influencer's accurate 'fit' with a specific product or business that they have promoted online. Due to this, 'it is clear that negative publicity is a real concern for such sponsoring companies as it can affect brand image and sales.' ( Thwaits & Lowe 2010, 6) However, the concept of using recognisable faces to lead campaigns is not entirely a current trend, Belanche goes on to say that 'celebrities have long been leveraged for marketing campaigns.' (Belanche, 2021: 187) In previous years, following the event of reputation gossip, celebrities have been removed from brand endorsements. Findings and Analysis In order to collect my own research for my dissertation , I conducted interviews with ten young adults, aged between twenty to twenty five, in an aim to find out whether they actively consume celebrity gossip journalism and, if so, the impact it has on their perceptions and opinions. As displayed in my findings and analysis chapter of my dissertation, is it clear to see that young adults are becoming much less engaged with online journalistic gossip content. Interview responses demonstrated that audiences are appearing reluctant to openly admit that they have actively searched for or engaged with celebrity gossip journalism, stating that 'they “are not proud of” their consumption'. (Christina Smith, 2022, 23). This reluctancy was found to be caused by the belief that gossip journalism is often largely unreliable, exaggerated for reader attention and overall 'nonsense.' (Smith, 2022, 23). This research therefore has a beneficial impact towards the trending concept of using influencers and celebrities for advertisement purposes within the marketing and PR industry. Due to the lack of trust demonstrated throughout the responses I received, it is to be suggested that audiences are currently more likely to be influenced by an advertisement campaign, than the journalism articles they have read. This is beneficial as, in the event that reputation gossip is published regarding a recognised influencer, there is still an opportunity to continue to market the subjected individual(s) and protect brand identity, as audiences are less likely to believe the journalistic content they have consumed. ​ Additionally, my research also suggested that, when audiences do engage with gossip journalism, they expressed enjoyment for the information they have read concerning the scandal genre. This enjoyment for scandal could suggest a potential success for advertisers, and academic research found that 'misbehaviour and even criminal activity by celebrities have grabbed the attention of marketing executives who believe that ‘any publicity is good publicity.' (Donaton cited in Thwaites and Lowe, 2010). This concept of good publicity proposes the idea that reputation gossip is not necessarily always detrimental to brand's identity, as audiences enjoyment for scandalous news stories could allure to the belief that it is, situationally, good publicity. My findings further support this concept, as respondents commented that they are “always asking people if they’ve seen what certain celebrities have done now”. (Smith, 2022, 25) ​ Overall, my findings demonstrated that young adults are reluctant actively engage in celebrity and influencer gossip journalism as they believe it to be false and exaggerated for public attention. Additionally, my findings found that young adults are also much less likely to allow reputation gossip to impact their perceptions of subjected individuals, due to this distrust. Therefore, this information is vitally beneficial to the digital marketing industry, who use celebrities and influencers throughout their campaigns, as their brand identity is not necessarily comprised. Furthermore, my findings found that audiences expressed their enjoyment for the scandal genre, which supports the idea that journalistic publicity can be good publicity for marketers. ​ ​ Future projects To build on this research, to formulate my media making artefact, I am planning to create a social media campaign. This social media campaign will consist of information tailored towards businesses to explain how to effectively advertise online using social media content. Using creative tools, such as in the form of Instagram posts, stories and reels, I will aim to draw attention towards the concept of using content creation and influencers for advertisement purposes and demonstrate its effectiveness to businesses. Word count: 2508 ​ ​ ​ References ​ Barnhart, Brent. 2022, 41 of the most important social media marketing statistics for 2022, Sprout Social. Available at: https://sproutsocial.com/insights/social-media-statistics/ (Accessed on: 24th March 2022) ​ Belanche, Daniel, et al. 2021, Understanding influencer marketing: The role of congruence between influencers, products and consumers. P.186-193 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.03.067 Chaffey, David. 2019, Digital Marketing: Strategy, Implementation and Practice, 7th ed. p.1-531 De Backer, Charlotte & Fisher, Maryanne. 2012, Tabloids as a window into our interpersonal relationships: a content analysis of mass media gossip from an evolutionary perspective, Journal of Social, Evolutionary and Cultural Psychology, p.404-424 Damien, Ryan & Jones, Calvin. 2012, Strategic Thinking, Understanding Digital Marketing: marketing strategies for engaging the digital generation, p.18-35 ​ Geyser, Werner. 2022, What is an Influencer? Social Media Influencers Defined, Influencer Marketing Hub. (Available at: https://influencermarketinghub.com/what-is-an-influencer/ (Accessed on: 23rd March 2022) ​ M&C Saatchi, 2022. Available at: https://mcsaatchi.com (Accessed on: 15th March, 2022) M&C Saatchi. 2019, Coca Cola Premier League Where Everyone Plays, Sports and Entertainment. Available at: https://sportandentertainment.mcsaatchi.com/project/coca-cola-premier-league-where-everyone-plays/ (Accessed on: 15th March 2022) ​ McMartin. 2021, The Benefits of User Generated Content. Available at: https://macmartin.co.uk/user-generated-content/ (Accessed on: 22nd March 2022) McStay, Andrew. 2016, Digital Advertising, 2nd ed. p.1-74 ​ The UK Social Media statistics for 2021, Avocado Social. 2021, Available at: https://www.avocadosocial.com/the-uk-social-media-statistics-for-2021/ (Accessed on 15th March 2022) ​ Smith, Christina. 2022, Read All About It: celebrity gossip, mental health and popular media culture, p.7-35 ​ Thwaites, Des & Lowe, Ben. 2010, The Impact of Negative Publicity on Celebrity Ad Endorsements, Psychology & Marketing, Vol. 29, 1-29 ​ Twenty surprising Influencer marketing statistics, Digital Marketing Institute. 2021, Available at: https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/20-influencer-marketing-statistics-that-will-surprise-you ( Accessed on 22nd March 2022) ​ Vrountas, Ted. 2021, User-Generated Content: Why It’s Effective and How to Use It in Your Marketing Campaigns, Instapage, Postclick. Available at: https://instapage.com/blog/what-is-user-generated-content (Accessed on: 20th March 2022)

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Influencer marketing guide Your guide to influencer marketing, current trends and how to avoid cancel culture Playbook Current Influencer news Inspired by CORQ, I was interested to create my own guide to Influencer marketing. CORQ describe themselves as the 'ultimate toolkit for everyone working in influencer marketing, content development and social media communications.' (CORQ, 2022). CORQ offer consultancy and an academic programme for individuals interested in developing their carers within these growing industries. ​ This inspired me to create my own influencer marketing guide. In my written dissertation, my research concerned academic findings on the topic of celebrity gossip within journalism media, and the impact that this has on mental wellbeing. I wanted to continue this idea within my creative dissertation, as the topic of cancel culture is gaining relevancy within today's media.

All Posts Creative dissertation Dissertation Global Media Voices campaign Transmedia presentation Search Log in / Sign up christinasmith35 38 minutes ago 31 min Read all about it: Celebrity gossip, mental health and popular media culture Abstract This paper explores the topic of celebrity gossip within the UK journalism media industry. Celebrity gossip refers to the act of... 1 view 0 comments Post not marked as liked christinasmith35 38 minutes ago 31 min Read all about it: Celebrity gossip, mental health and popular media culture Abstract This paper explores the topic of celebrity gossip within the UK journalism media industry. Celebrity gossip refers to the act of... 1 0 Post not marked as liked christinasmith35 38 minutes ago Read all about it: Celebrity gossip, mental health and popular media culture Abstract This paper explores the topic of celebrity gossip within the UK journalism media industry. Celebrity gossip refers to the act of...