Nam Yoon 03-09-2009 AMST 325 Dr. King
Hannah Montana, the Audiences and the Media Marketing
After the technological revolution and civil rights movement in 1960s, in many ways, America is a leading popular cultural nation. Also, producers and consumers approach differently from “Top-Down (producer-control-consumer)” to “Bottom-Up (consumer-control-producer)” to popular culture. The Web 2.0 which the two- way communication makes possible to both producers and consumers have their authorities to control. By the World Wide Web (www) and the ability of the media convergence (Sign of Life in the U.S.A., Maasik and Solomon,434), and the authors emphasize that the Americans are eventually popular culture (vi). Hannah Montana a television show in Disney’s TV channel is not only a main character in the show but also she is a singer, rock star and a contributor in man. Hannah Montana is to analyze who and what makes her so popular, and why?
Who is she? Hannah Montana is a main character in a Disney channel TV series. The half –hour sitcom is about a 14-year-old girl, Miley stewart, regarded by many of her middle-school peers as an outcast geek who has a secret identity by night as the pop sensation Hanna Montana. She plays as a Rock star at night in the show. Her real name is Destiny Hope Cyrus, and she was born on November 23, 1992 in Franklin, Tennessee. Cyrus has two elder half-brothers, and an elder half-sister, and a younger brother and sister (Miley Cyrus as Miley Stewart). Cyrus is a smiling little child when she is young. Therefore, her father Billy Ray Cyrus calls her nickname Miley, and she uses it in the show. When she was nine, she first appears on Billy Ray Cyrus’s TV to play a young girl name Kylie.
What makes her so popular? Cyrus is a passionate performer . On march 24,2006, when she turns twelve year-old, Cyrus is chosen for the Disney’s Hannah Montana production because her energetic and live performance. According to the New York Times, “the half-hour sitcom is about a 14-year-old girl (named Miley Stewart), regarded many of her middle-school peers as an outcast geek, who has a secret identity by night as the pop sensation Hanna Montana.” (goole.com, 03-08-2009). The series of first episode, its opening night’s movie “High School Musical,” the concert tickets are all sold out. The Hanna Montana show attracts views from age 6-14 the program averages more than 3.5 million viewers. This new pop sensation has led to marketing opportunities for Disney. Disney’s Hannah Montana has produced Miley Cyrus Album, “Hannah” Clothing, toys, games and other lines of “Hannah” accessories in hope that the viewers who watch the show will buy them. (www.horsecreekpublications.com, Amazon). The Disney company carefully zoom to it’s comsumers to sell things out.
Cyrus’s positive attitude toward her audiences possibly makes her popular. Their age range is 7 to 73, USA Today’ Biography Resource Center collected the audiences’ questions and Cyrus’s answers. A seven-year-old Emma Goodman asked if Cyrus ever rode a school bus. Cyrus answered to Emma that she rode one time with her friends. Also, a 73-year-old Jimmie Forehead asked if Cyrus know that a lot of older folks enjoy Hannah Montana, and he added that he thinks it is the funniest show on TV. He also enjoys Cyrus’s concerts, too. Cyrus answers that grandmas are the ones buying te most of the concert tickets (USA Today, Jan 30, 2008 p02D). Her audiences are from very young children to up to 73-year-old. Fun and lively are the two big reasons the audiences enjoy Cyrus’s perform.
In real life, Cyrus does her daily chores. She makes her bed and clean up her room at home (goole.com). According to her, his father advises her to do her own work as a role model say,”… Be good to them (audiences).” The famous country singer Billy Ray Cyrus’s daughter now becomes famous.
There is some negative perspective Cyrus’s double life. Kate’s mother sees Montana’s perform as hyper-pubescent mixture of rock’n roll, and that is marketing and suggestive lyrics.
