Chico 1

Ashley G. Chico

Ms. Melissa Ringfield

ENC1102

6 December 2018

Kylie Jenner and the Ephemeral Narrative

The traditional model of marketing via television, newspaper and radio advertisements,

no longer meets the needs of twenty-first-century consumers. Rather, celebrities and their

businesses, such as Kylie Jenner and Kylie Cosmetics, have begun to shift their marketing

strategies to reflect the effects, demands and trends of online, social media advertising. This new

ability to create a personal approach within the consumer-business model allows these businesses

to connect with their consumers on a more personal level and achieve a stronger sense of trust

between their demographic. In addition, the rise of ephemeral, or content that expires in a pre-set

amount of time, creates a new avenue for celebrities to share their daily experiences and provides

a new format for promoting their personal businesses. As businesses are beginning to translate

from projecting an impersonal connection with their consumers to now a vivid, interactive,

online experience, it raises the question of what types of rhetorical strategies are celebrities using

in their ephemeral narrative in order to effectively promote their business? The following

literature review synthesizes the findings of many business and linguistic scholars as to what are

the effects of celebrities hosting an online, social media presence and how consumer behavior

shapes the marketing strategies used by celebrities when advertising their brand or products.

These scholars examine how the social media culture between business, brand and consumer

play a pivotal role in twenty-first-century viral marketing. In this manner, there is very little
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research from scholars as to what exact procedures and patterns are practiced by celebrities when

using the social media platform to promote their businesses. However, this is exactly the margin

of undiscovered content that I intend to research in the hopes of finding an end result that will

benefit society as a whole.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Discourse Theory and Activity Systems

Within the social media platform, there are many facets as to the interactions between the

consumers themselves and the businesses or brands they interact with. Multiple linguistic

scholars have examined the Discourse theory in understanding its application under different

contexts. For instance, according to two scholars, Kain and Wardle, discourse is understood to

be, “the study of social life, understood through analysis of language in its widest sense

(including face-to-face talk, non-verbal interaction, images, symbols and documents). It offers

ways of investigating meaning, whether in conversation or in culture” (Kain and Wardle).

Another linguistic scholar, Gee, describes Discourse to be “the many ways of being in the world;

they are forms of life which integrate words, acts, values, beliefs, attitudes and social identities

as well as gestures, glances and clothes.” In addition to the study of Discourse in its natural state,

research has also been conducted about public discourse in relation to how "...young people and

social media centers on the perception of young users as possessing a desire for media that

allows them to broadcast their lives to as large an audience as possible, and to grow a self-brand

that accumulates likes, followers, subscribers, and-if they are very good at it-profit" (Avieson et.

al 63). All three sources touch upon the roots of Discourse theory and portions of plausible

connections between social media branding, however, the majority of studies continues to fail to
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providing good research in putting Discourse theory in context of social media and addressing

the discourse within it.

In addition to finding research on Discourse theory, it is also important to examine

activity systems in the context of social media. According to Bailey and Shaw, “The most basic

activity theory lens, or unit of analysis, is the activity system, defined as a group of people who

share a common object and motive over time, as well as the wide range of tools they use together

to act on that object and realize that motive.” The activity systems theory provides an outlet for

scholars to cross examine multiple facets of a network in order to create connections on how they

function. Combined with the research conducted by those of Discourse theory and Activity

Systems, it can be concluded that both are necessary when evaluating the context for which

social media, consumerism and viral marketing take place.

Ethos of Viral Marketing

What is perhaps the most intriguing portion of the latest social media marketing trends is

the shift in ethos strategies when advertising to the everyday consumer. According to the

Merriam-Webster Dictionary, ethos is defined as “the distinguishing character, sentiment, moral

nature, or guiding beliefs of a person, group, or institution,” in other words, credibility behind the

source. accountable for their actions or, in most cases, for the opinions of their buyers to be

heard. Scholar Blanchard’s research indicates the the primary use of, “Evoking emotion out of

the audience in social media posts is one of the biggest reasons why content gets shared and

viewed (qtd. Avieson 50). There is also research conducted specifically in relation to social

media platforms that possess an ephemeral aspect to it.

In a recent BBC guide to Snapchat, Priscilla Ngethe explains, “You can share your whole

day with the world. That’s the point of Snapchat” (qtd. in Avieson 168). Consequently, older

social media outlets Instagram and Facebook, caught on to this trend and change in consumer

behavior, this their addition of ‘stories’ to their social media platforms as well. As stated of

Aveison in her book, Mediating Memory, “Snapchat‘s (and now Instagram and Facebook’s)

twenty-four hour window encourages frequent engagement from its users – they must check in

with the app every day to ensure they do not miss out on content. Impermanence is a currency

here.” As a result, brands and businesses must also adapt and create ephemeral content should

they intend to create a profitable footprint within the social media platform. Research conducted

by Heinonen goes on to describe social connection activities as appearing to “facilitate a feeling

of belonging and bonding to a specific social environment and between members of a social

group.” Multiple scholars observe the attention social media brings in interacting with

consumers, however, the connection between the behaviors of consumers and the reactionary

results of businesses in their marketing strategies continues to be stratified amongst researches.

Research Proposal

In order to examine what type of rhetorical marketing strategies celebrities use to

promote their business and products, an observation of their marketing cycles or new product

release needs to occur. This includes any and everything posted by the individual during that

time frame. For this experiment, the demographic that will be studied are persons who are

‘celebrities’ with their own business, specifically Kylie Jenner. Once the data has been collected

for at least one marketing cycle or product release, the videos will then be categorized into three

categories of rhetorical strategies: ethos, jargon and mode of discourse. ‘Celebrities’ will be
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defined as a person who generates profit via an online social media presence and their ‘business’

will refer to a registered domain that they also generate profit from, seperate from their person.

Methods

The primary research used for this research article will be screen recordings of Kylie

Jenner’s Snapchat and Instagram Stories for a period of three months. A story is defined as a

twenty-four-hour platform for which any user may post a single photo, video or multiple and will

result in its deletes come the twenty-four-hour period since posting. The purpose of screen

recording twenty-four-hour stories for a time period of three months is to not only receive

representative data from a month-to-month basis, but also to pinpoint exactly where the

entrepreneur repeated footage and if so, how frequently? While the young billionaire is known

for posting the majority of her promotional content on Snapchat, it was also noticed that the

youngest daughter of the Kardashian-Jenner family also posted a significant amount of brand

content on her Instagram story as well. By capturing content from both social media sources, it

allows for a larger scale of cross analysis when comparing several different aspects of her posts.

There are several different categories for which each screen recording is analyzed: the

date posted onto Kylie Jenner’s Story (either Snapchat or Instagram), the social media in which it

was posted onto, if Jenner shot the video herself, length of story, number of images or videos in

one twenty-four-hour daily story, the medium in which the footage was taken, number of images

or videos related to her company Kylie Cosmetics, and finally number of images or videos

related to her personal life.

The intent in doing is to be able to dissect as many rhetorical strategies as possible and analyze

what exactly does Jenner project within each image or video she posts. In addition, each video

recorded will also be organized into sub-categories that will allow more analysis on the images

used themselves.

The purpose of this primary research is to identify, analyze and synthesize what types of

rhetorical strategies do celebrities with businesses, particularly Kylie Jenner, use in their

ephemeral narratives. Ultimately, this will reveal a method for which future socialites and

celebrities may follow in order to potentially gain as much revenue as one who completed these

steps.

Results and Discussion

Over the course of a three month marketing period, fifty-two screen recordings were

collected of fifty-two days worth of daily ‘Stories’ by Kylie Jenner. These recordings were

collected using social media platforms Snapchat and Instagram. In addition, each video was

broken down into sub-categories to further determine which factors correlated in any given

marketing month and which strategies Jenner used most frequently. These subcategories were

completed for every video and were the following: Which image or video out of the daily story is

being analyzed, where was it originally posted, is it promoting Kylie Cosmetics or Jenner’s

personal life, picture or video, are there others present, is there music in the video, are there extra

texts, setting, Jenner’s demeanor should she be in it, is Jenner looking at the camera, Jenner’s
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clothing in the shot, what the purpose of the uploaded image or video is showcasing, and finally

if Jenner speaks in the post.

The results revealed that the majority of footage used on her Snapchat social network

were reused from her Instagram, which does possess a higher following. It is also on her

Instagram that her separate page specifically for promoting just her makeup business of Kylie

Cosmetics is located. Jenner also uploaded at least one image in her story in relation to her

business whether it be on Instagram or SnapChat. In addition, the personal photographs or videos

never once promoted an overtly careless lifestyle as many would expect from a young celebrity.

Rather, the majority of her personal ‘snaps’ produce pictures of her daughter or spending time

supporting her friends. The remaining images relating back to her business indicate the the

young entrepreneur is serious in her line of work and yet has managed to produce a balance

between family and work all at the tender age of twenty-one.

What was the most eye-catching portion of the uploads, was the message behind the

business driven images. Not once in any of the images did Jenner tag or mention anyone else in

her images when promoting her own company. Additionally, only those Jenner completed a

direct makeup-line collaboration was anyone ever mentioned verbally when showcasing the

swatches of the makeup. Finally, any swatches completed were done on the young celebrities

friends, using settings found only within her house. With every swatch video uploaded,

particularly in video thirty-one of the screen recorded videos, Jenner addresses the process of the

swatching and stated, “I like to do my own marketing and shoots and swatched because I know

what lighting I like and even do all of the renderings you see, like it's not a team I pay for, it's

what I put out there first.”

The most intriguing observation is that of the personal approach Jenner gifts her

followers. Large-scale business fail to create an inclusive experience with their consumer,

however, Kylie Jenner thrives in creating one for all of her fans. When addressing the makeup

used or the formula Jenner is promoting, she ensures to always use the first-person narrative to

create a familiar conversation between the viewer and the starlette. Jenner also reveals the

process in which each makeup product was completed in, with whom any collaboration was

with, and was attentive in addressing an immediate concerns fans addressed during the release of

any products, especially within the Halloween collection.

Conclusion

While there has been research conducted specifically about activity systems and

discourse theory, very few cross-examine their applications to celebrities, their businesses and

the social media outlets that are used to promote their businesses. It is important to connect the
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discourse and observe the activity systems used within in the social media platforms as the time

for technology is changing at a rapid pace. I intend on filling this gap with my own research of

ephemeral marketing and the effects of using social media as a platform to raise a business or a

brand. Inclusive, my research actively seeks out what strategies are used by successful celebrities

and their businesses and brands on social media and how they involve ethos, jargon and mode of

discourse into their viral marketing strategies. Specifically, looking into what types of

interactions occur between consumers and celebrity businesses and what types of effects does

this version of viral marketing have in today’s technological society.

Works Cited

Avieson, Bunty, et al. Mediating Memory Tracing the Limits of Memoir. Routledge, 2018.

“Doing Kylie Jenner’s Halloween Makeup.” YouTube, uploaded by James Charles, 9 Oct. 2018,

www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uk6rKXbG1M.

Gee, James Paul. “LITERACY, DISCOURSE, AND LINGUISTICS: INTRODUCTION.” The

Journal of Education, vol. 171, no. 1, 1989, pp. 6-7. JSTOR, JSTOR,

www.jstor.org/stable/42743865.

Gove, Philip Babcock. “Ethos.” Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English

Language, Unabridged: Utilizing All the Experience and Resources of More than One

Hundred Years of Merriam-Webster Dictionaries, Merriam-Webster, 1993.

Heinonen, Kristina. Wiley Online Library, 23 Dec. 2011.doi.org/10.1002/cb.376

Sara E Shaw, Julia Bailey; Discourse analysis: what is it and why is it relevant to family

practice?, Family Practice, Volume 26, Issue 5, 1 October 2009, Pages 413–419,

doi.org/10.1093/fampra/cmp038

“The Culture of Connectivity a Critical History of Social Media.” The Culture of Connectivity a

Critical History of Social Media, by José van. Dijck, Oxford University Press, 2013, pp.

54–56.

Rosemary Thackeray, Brad L. Neiger, Carl L. Hanson, and James F. McKenzie Health

Promotion Practice. Vol 9, Issue 4, pp. 338 - 343. March 19, 2008

doi.org/10.1177/1524839908325335