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Since its opening in 1836 Bristol Zoo has displayed animals from every continent except Antarctica in order to deliver amusement and instruction to its visitors. Over time, the nature of this human-animal space changed in a variety of important ways, reflecting transformations in the ways humans gave meaning to non-human animal life. This thesis engages with insights rooted in colonial, environmental, cultural and intellectual histories, principally arguing that multi-layered interspecies relationships were predominantly rooted in a complicated dyad of object-subject. Animals were seen as representative objects to be bought, sold, studied and enjoyed, as well as simultaneously individual subjects capable of communing with their human counterparts. Such relationships were frequently illustrative of a fluid balance of control and, in many ways, lay bare the uncertain philosophical boundary separating humans from the rest of the natural world. While this thesis details important changes over time, it approaches these relationships thematically. It shows that animals were objects of desire, though they had different values depending on species, age, sex and utility. Later, their value was increasingly attached to the genetic information coursing through their veins. Modes of maintaining the animal and displaying it for instructive and entertaining consumption reveal similarly complicated ways of thinking about non-human animal life. The imagination of animals in scientific and anthropomorphic ways denote entangled ontological classifications of human and nonhuman animals, and the existence of a hierarchy of species based on the possession of humanoid features. Moreover, the material influence of animals, while challenging conceptualisations of absolute human power in captive spaces, has often been interpreted in ways which reinforced the status of animals as objects of physical and imaginative manipulation. Finally, in death, animals were understood in ways that changed significantly during the period, but which remained rooted in the familiar binary of object-subject.

Advertisements are today a large part of our daily lives, making marketing increasingly complex and hard to navigate for companies seeking to catch our attention. One way of engaging with consumers is with the help of celebrities, via so called celebrity endorsements. Previous research on women has shown that celebrity endorsements of exclusive brands seems to have a positive effect on the consumer’s attitude towards the ad, but no impact on its purchase intention, brand attitude or how luxurious the brand is perceived. Furthermore, several studies have shown that there are large differences between men’s and women’s purchase behaviors. However, there is a lack of previous research with regards to celebrity endorsements targeting men. With this in mind, our purpose with this study has been to analyze what celebrity endorsement for exclusive brands targeting men contributes with. The research question is “What does a celebrity contribute with when promoting exclusive brands to men?”. The study was conducted using a quantitative method based on existing theories about celebrity endorsement, meaning transfer model, consumer behavior and brand equity. The data that emerged from our survey was also analyzed based on the study’s chosen theories. After an analysis of the empirical data, the following conclusions have been made: Male consumers prefer celebrity endorsements over regular advertisements with a noncelebrity; however, celebrity endorsements are not perceived as more exclusive. Celebrity endorsements targeting men contributes to an increased brand awareness and creates positive brand associations when the right celebrity has been chosen; brand loyalty and perceived brand quality are not affected. Celebrity endorsements for exclusive brands targeting men does not necessarily lead to an increased desire for the brand.

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Celebrity endorsement is a global billion-dollar business used by food, beverage and restaurant companies to influence dietary behaviors that may contribute to overweight and obesity. Evidence suggests that existing government policies and industry self-regulatory programs in the United States (US) do not adequately protect young Americans from celebrity endorsement that promotes energy-dense and nutrient-poor food and beverage products. This PhD dissertation describes four studies that examine the nature, extent, and perceived influence of celebrity endorsement used by business firms and non-profit organizations to promote branded food and beverage products or branded campaigns to American children, adolescents and millennial young adults to inform future research and policies to promote healthy food environments. Study one created a database of US celebrities (n=732) involved with food and beverage group, brand or product endorsements (1990-2017) to examine celebrity profiles and their endorsement relationships, company partnerships, the nutritional profile of products and brands. Evidence was analyzed using Python version 3.5.5 and SPSS version 24. Study two examined celebrities associated with the Partnership for a Healthier America's Fruits and Veggies (FNV) Campaign (2015-2016). Evidence was analyzed using data visualization tools supported by Python and SPSS, and results informed the FNV Campaign. Study three used Q methodology to explore the views of Millennials, born 1981-1994 (n=40) at Virginia Tech about celebrity endorsement of food and beverage products and brands. Participants sorted 48 celebrity images depicting brand and product endorsements on a normal distribution (+4 to -4) based on celebrity trustworthiness and complete a post Q-sort questionnaire. Data analysis used PQMethod 2.35 statistical software program, centroid factor analysis, and qualitative interpretation of unique factor arrays for sorters. Study four identified relevant evidence about US celebrity endorsement of food and beverage products (2000-2019), used an accountability framework to evaluate the adequacy of accountability structures, and suggested future policies and action needed for diverse stakeholders to use celebrity endorsement to promote healthy food environments. Future research should explore the trend of celebrity endorsement used in the US marketplace and examine the influence of this marketing strategy on young people's food preferences and choices based on more representative experimental research. / Doctor of Philosophy / Celebrity endorsement is a marketing strategy that represents a person who uses public recognition to promote the sales, use or consumption of a brand, product, or service. Celebrity endorsement has been used by food, beverage and restaurant companies to influence eating behaviors that may contribute to overweight and obesity. Evidence suggests that existing government policies and industry self-regulatory programs in the United States (US) do not adequately protect young Americans from celebrity endorsement that promotes energy-dense and nutrient-poor food and beverage products. This PhD dissertation describes four studies that examined the nature, extent, and perceived influence of celebrity endorsement used by business firms and non-profit organizations to promote branded food and beverage products or branded campaigns to American children, adolescents and millennial adults to promote healthy food environments. Study one created a database of US celebrities (n=732) involved with food and beverage group, brand or product endorsements (1990-2017) to examine celebrity profiles and their endorsement relationships. Evidence was analyzed using Python data visualization tools and SPSS statistical software. Study two examined celebrities associated with the Partnership for a Healthier America's Fruits and Veggies (FNV) Campaign (2015-2016). Evidence was analyzed using baseline celebrity data (n=82) provided by the campaign initiator, and results informed the FNV Campaign. Study three used Q methodology to explore the views of Millennials, born 1981-1994 (n=40) at Virginia Tech about celebrity endorsement of food and beverage products and brands. Participants sorted 48 celebrity images depicting brand and product endorsements based on celebrity trustworthiness and complete a post Q-sort questionnaire. Data analysis used PQMethod 2.35 statistical software to generate shared viewpoints. Study four identified relevant evidence about US celebrity endorsement of food and beverage products (2000-2019), used an accountability framework to evaluate the adequacy of accountability structures, and suggested future policies and action needed for diverse stakeholders to use celebrity endorsement to promote healthy food environments. Future research should explore the trend of celebrity endorsement used in the US marketplace and examine the influence of this marketing strategy on young people's food beverage preferences and choices based on more representative experimental research.

The use of celebrity endorsers is a popular marketing strategy in many countries. Typically, many marketers believe that using celebrities is a viable marketing strategy for attracting customers, increasing market share and improving sales for their market offerings. The celebrity endorsement strategy using local celebrities is increasing in South Africa. Many South African marketers are now using popular local black celebrities in an attempt to attract the prosperous black emerging middle class, known as Black Diamonds. Black Generation Y students offer great promise to marketers in the South African market as their tertiary education is likely to lead to higher future earning potential and subsequent entry into the already prosperous black emerging middle class segment. Given the increased use of local black celebrities and the market potential of the black Generation Y cohort in South Africa, it is important to investigate whether this marketing strategy may be effective when used in this segment. Celebrity endorsement may work effectively if the correct celebrity is chosen to promote a product but may have costly results if an inappropriate celebrity is chosen. Ohanian (1990) developed a scale to facilitate the selection of celebrity endorsers. The scale is based on the source credibility model that includes the source attractiveness, trustworthiness and expertise model. This study set out to determine whether the black Generation Y students have positive perceptions of local black celebrity endorsers using the celebrity endorsers‟ credibility scale developed by Ohanian (1990). Furthermore, the scale was validated using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling in order to ascertain whether the scale remains applicable when used in the South African context. A non-probability convenience sample of 880 (440 per institution) black students aged between 18 and 24 years was taken in 2012 from the two registered public higher education institutions in the Gauteng province of South Africa. Following a top-of-the-mind-awareness test, four local black celebrities were identified, namely Connie Ferguson, Black Coffee, DJ Sbu and Zahara. In a second top-of-the-mind-awareness test to determine which product types each celebrity is considered to most suitable to endorse, Connie Ferguson was linked to cosmetics, Black Coffee to hot beverages, DJ Sbu to men’s clothing and Zahara to traditional African clothes and jewellery. The relevant primary data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire that had four versions – one per identified celebrity. Lecturers at the two public HEIs were contacted and asked if they would distribute the questionnaires (four versions) to their students to complete during lecture periods. The questionnaires were hand delivered to the relevant lecturers and those completed were immediately collected. The questionnaire requested respondents to indicate on a six-point Likert scale their perceptions of the four selected celebrities‟ attractiveness, trustworthiness and expertise in endorsing their selected product types. In addition, respondents were asked to provide certain demographic data. Findings from the study indicated that black Generation Y students have positive perceptions of the selected local black celebrity endorsers‟ attractiveness, trustworthiness and expertise in endorsing their selected product types. In addition, the results of both the confirmatory factor analysis and the structural equation modelling suggest that the scale developed by Ohanian (1990) to be a valid measure for selecting celebrity endorsers when applied in South Africa. Insights gained from this study will assist both marketing academics and practitioners understand the perceptions of the black Generation Y students towards the use of local black celebrities in product promotions in the South African market. / MCom, Marketing Management, North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2013

Diploma thesis "Talk show Uvolněte se, prosím and its political guests (qualitative and quantitative analysis of politicians' attendance in the show)" deals with the topic of convergence of entertainment and politics, hence politics and the media as such. The theoretical part of the thesis deals with the wider context of the issue - presentation of the politicians on television, interconnection of politics and humor, and the role of talk shows in political communication. The theoretical part presents the issue of political celebrities as one of the factors that affect communication between the politicians and the citizens. The practical part deals with the qualitative and quantitative analysis of the political guests' performance in the czech version of American talk shows Uvolněte se, prosím.

"The American Tradition of the Literary Interview 1840 - 1956: A Cultural History" is the first study to document the development of the literary interview in the United States. A handful of critics have discussed the literary interview and traced it back to various European cultural traditions; however, I argue that, like the interview, which the British journalist William Stead wrote "was a distinctly American invention," the literary interview was a particularly American form. Drawing on archival research and new readings of primary sources, this project examines the literary interview's systemic growth and formal characteristics between 1842 and 1956. I trace connections among the American press, culture, and literary marketplace to offer an as-yet unwritten history of the literary interview. During Charles Dickens's 1842 North American tour, the first literary interviews were published in written-up, or paragraph form and resembled written snapshots or sketches. As a result of the cult of domesticity and the popular scandals of the mid-to-late nineteenth century, the literary interview developed into a slightly longer and more narrative form that focused on an author's surroundings and living quarters. With the rise of yellow journalism and muckraking reporting during the first decades of the twentieth century, the literary interview became a more investigative and intrusive form; yet at the same time, the first in-depth, literary conversations with American authors were published. During the interwar period, the second wave of "girl reporters" and lady interviews transformed the written-up literary interview into a more nuanced form that exhibited rhetorical and literary flourishes. With the development of the New Yorker profile and the Paris Review interview in the mid-twentieth century, the literary interview branched off into two distinct modes: the profile and the author Q & A. This history of the literary interview offers a model of reading mass media communications in terms of both content and form. In doing so, this project chges the critical frameworks that dismiss the literary interview as ancillary to literature and articulate the importance of interviews, communication, and conversation in American culture.