Degree Name
MA (Master of Arts)
Program
Brand and Media Strategy
Date of Award
5-2023
Committee Chair or Co-Chairs
Mimi Perreault
Committee Members
Chelsea Wessels, Shara Lange
Abstract
In March 2020, Tom Hanks announced he had contracted COVID-19 while shooting the Elvis Presley Biopic in Australia. On Instagram, he encouraged fans to take the disease seriously and be aware of how severe of a disease it was. Character brands and nostalgia have been found to foster trust in products and encourage relationships with those brands. Using the lens of nostalgia and uses and gratification to examine Tom Hanks as a character brand, the researcher analyzed five blockbuster films with Tom Hanks as the lead character. The study used narrative thematic analysis to observe Hanks and the depictions of character identity, trauma, mortality, affectional emotion, memory, and catharsis in these films. The goal was to better understand how nostalgia might contribute to brand trust between the audience and the celebrity.
Document Type
Thesis - unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Higgs, Jacob, "T. Hanks for Nostalgia: The Power of Tom Hanks and Film Branding" (2023). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 4208. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/4208
Copyright
Copyright by the authors.
Included in
Acting Commons, Broadcast and Video Studies Commons, Journalism Studies Commons, Other Film and Media Studies Commons, Psychological Phenomena and Processes Commons, Public Relations and Advertising Commons, Social Media Commons, Television Commons