A niche and frequently persecuted sub-culture turned into a global pop-cultural phenomenon, if you are not already watching RuPaul’s Drag Race (season 11 currently airing on VH1) then you should be. Not only are you in for a feast of the uniqueness, charisma, nerve and talent which the show expects of its competitors, but you are receiving a marketing masterclass. A reality television programme first aired in 2009, Drag Race has moved from a cult to an increasingly mainstream following. In 2016, 2017 and 2018 RuPaul won the Emmy Award for ‘Outstanding host of a variety, nonfiction or reality programme’. Spin-off shows are available through traditional and new media channels. Associated live shows and conventions tour the globe. The premise of Drag Race is to be crowned ‘America’s next drag superstar’ by the eponymous RuPaul. Each week this seasoned drag artiste and a panel of critics, judge contestants’ skills at particular challenges, celebrity impersonation for examp...
I am a marketing academic interested in the consumer behavior side in particular. My background is a PhD in sustainable tourism and I am interested in how and why individuals and societies consume. This blog is a space to share my research ideas and experiences. This is a personal site and all views expressed here are my own.