(yet another!) thread on cameo, from someone who studies fan-celebrity interactions: (1/22)

this follows on from a previous thread, here: https://twitter.com/fansumption/status/1337009964200517632?s=20

(2/22)

by now, everyone knows cameo.

you pay a celebrity anywhere from $5-$2500USD (with options ranging from an aussie reality tv "star" to like, actual legitimate famous people) and receive a "personalised" video in return. (3/22)

this week, cameo announced people spent over $100mil USD (~$130mil AUD) on celebrity shoutouts in 2020. that's a lot of money.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2021/01/05/cameo-customers-spent-100-million-on-celebrity-shout-outs-in-2020-ceo-says/?sh=1e122eb950b9

(but also not a lot, when you consider people attend conventions often spend in excess of $5K multiple times a year)
(4/22)

cameo exists to make big bucks for their celebrity clients. again, this is also why cons exist, but with conventions there is at least a vague illusion of centring fans.

the ceo of cameo told the nyt: "i never wanted any [celeb] to say that cameo wasn’t worth their time"

(5/22)

no mentions of fans here.
the thing about any kind of interaction between fans and celebrities is that fans are never guaranteed good service. in fact, brands tell them to be happy if they get crumbs because any attention from the celeb is a gift.
https://twitter.com/fansumption/status/1337013951909904384?s=20
(6/22)

there is no quality control on cameo.

none.

you send your (often) hundreds of dollars to the company and get back a video with no minimum length, no location/lighting guarantee, and no promise of how personalised it will actually be (many celebs use a "script")
(7/22)

in april, the ceo said "this is kind of the perfect product for an era where every meet and greet, fan convention, and comic-con is cancelled. this is a way for the talent to have a comic-con in the palm of their hands".

no.

(8/22) https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2020/04/9612273/cameo-most-popular-celebrities-coronavirus

rojek (2001) uses the term "the st thomas effect" to explain “the compulsion to authenticate a desired object by travelling to it, touching it, and photographing it”

while he's using it to discuss stalking/mobbing, this idea of touch is really key for celeb interaction
(9/22)

when a fan gets a photo with a celebrity at a con (or on the street!), 95% of the time they get to touch the celebrity. and that touch is key! it's saying - just like when st thomas felt jesus' wounds - you're really real! we both exist right here, right now.

(10/22)

it doesn't matter if the photo op only lasts ten seconds:
1) that authentication occurred
and
2) the fan leaves with a souvenir of that authentication to relive it through, *as well as* a story (whether embellished or not) of the interaction

(11/22)

a video message completely removes the potential for authentication, as well as throwing away the limited amounts of reciprocity that a traditional meet and greet allows.

rather than creating a moment of closeness between fan and celeb, this actually distances them

(12/22)

cameo was built on the idea that "selfies are the new autograph", which is...partially valid.

however, the two serve distinct purposes for fans, usually tied to the way in which they're obtained, and video messages aren't a replacement for either

(13/22)

as i said earlier, meeting celebrities is all about (the illusion of) reciprocity. even if a celeb just asks you how you are, that element of connection exists.

in my research, many fans told me they prefer autographs at cons because the time with the celeb is extended

(14/22)

although never guaranteed or expected, autographs also allow the potential for personalised messages.

in that way, cameo is actually acting *more* like an autograph and *a lot less* like a selfie. it's a brief, largely generic message featuring a face.

(15/22)

returning to the idea of quality control, until recently you could look at a celebrity's page and immediately see the length of their average video.

not any more.

you can still see a brief selection of public videos, but need to watch them all to get an idea of time
(16/22)

this is bad.

if i'm dropping $190 USD on - for example - tj oshie (go caps!), i want to be able to know what i'm getting into without having to do my own research when the information should be clearly provided by the company.

(17/22)

this is getting very long but in my opinion, cameo needs to step up on the fan side of their company, and for me, three simple steps should occur to begin this process:

(18/22)

1) bring back the time bar on public videos
2) clearly state on the celeb's profile what their average video length is
and
3) implement quality control where minimum length and standard of video are required

(19/22)

two of these are very minor adjustments, and the third should have been in place from day one to show your customers that you vaguely value their investment in your product.

no more dark, short, poorly-angled videos that cost hundreds of dollars, *please*

(20/22)

come back another time for my rant on how much i hate their messaging feature

(21/22)

i know i sound like a broken record but there's *so much* potential for high quality, fan-centered celebrity products and yet people continue to throw crumbs to fans and praise...relatively sub-par options*.

we can be better! come talk to me!

(*some cameos are great!)

(22/22)

oh look, i’m back again!

@Kate_Ngai raised some valid points in my replies about where cameo can be understood as superior to other forms of celeb interaction, and i just want to point out within this thread that i totally agree that all forms have their pros and cons
(23/22)

i spend all day thinking about conventions and that form of celebrity meet and greet while writing my thesis, and i forget that i’m yelling into a scrivener void.

i also have a lot of issues with the physical meet and greet industry

(24/22)

all fan-celebrity interaction is cursed by capitalism and takes way more from fans than it ever gives. cameo has just been on my brain today bc of $100mil story + noticing they got rid of time markers on celeb profiles

if you ever want to hear my thoughts on m&gs...

(25/22)

(i’m also being very cynical. the one time i used cameo i was super happy (4 mins long, good lighting, and no weird angles ), and i’ve loved meeting some celebs at conventions. and nothing makes jack happier than a celeb interaction! always two sides to a coin/thought!)

26/22