B*tch Better Have My Money: The Artist Brand Impact of the Super Bowl Halftime Show
Open Access
Author:
Tague, Kathryn
Area of Honors:
Advertising/Public Relations
Degree:
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
John R Affleck, Thesis Supervisor Denise Sevick Bortree, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
public relations football brand pop culture brand strategy NFL National Football League The Super Bowl Super Bowl The Super Bowl Halftime Show Rihanna
Abstract:
The most-watched entertainment performance in America each year is the Super Halftime Show, for which the performers are not even directly paid. How did the greatest gig in America become that? What does it do for the performers? And what does it say about America that the premiere entertainment spectacle happens at a football game? This thesis demonstrates how the show has evolved from marching bands in the 60s to the pop star moment that we know now. This research paper also explores an artist’s incentive for wanting to perform in the Halftime Show, despite not being directly paid to do so. After analyzing how artists’ brands are impacted from the halftime show through promotions, viral moments, and viewership, this study argues that Rihanna’s performance in Super Bowl LVII had the largest impact on her brand out of any artist to perform in the halftime show. The study also examines key themes such as how social media impacts an artist’s brand, how the halftime show is a sign of the times and where the halftime show may go in the future.
