Doctor Who: The Unfolding Event — Marketing, Merchandising and Mediatizing a Brand Anniversary: The Unfolding Event: Marketing, Merchandising and Mediatizing a Brand Anniversary

Introduction: Media anniversaries -- brand, paratext, event ... and the hype of the Doctor -- Marketing the 50th anniversary: brand management and the cultural value of the Doctor -- Merchandising the 50th anniversary: public service consumption in the name of the Doctor -- Mediatizing the 50th anniversary: cinematic liveness and the "developing art" of the doctor -- References -- Index.;"Brand anniversaries have become a regular part of today's popular culture, yet they have received surprisingly little analysis. Doctor Who: The Unfolding Event takes the BBC's flagship science fiction TV programme, and its 50th anniversary in 2013, as a case study. Anniversaries involve the proliferation of 'paratexts', e.g. trailers, merchandise, and conventions; this book considers how these paratexts can relate to one another, as well as being incoherent or ambiguous rather than cueing textual meanings. It tackles the brand anniversary as a 'popular media event' that is pre-planned and yet can also be contingently disrupted. Analysing how Doctor Who's 50th worked as a 'BBC metonym', and how 'public service consumption' has contributed to the BBC's cultural reproduction rather than harming its distinctive ethos, this study demonstrates that brand anniversaries are about asserting contemporary relevance. Doctor Who's 50th achieved this via an innovative 3D cinema/TV simulcast. Rather than dismissing anniversaries as commercial 'pseudo-events', we need to take their bids for cultural value more seriously." -- Back cover. Brand Anniversaries Have Become A Regular Part Of Today's Popular Culture, Yet They Have Received Surprisingly Little Analysis. Doctor Who: The Unfolding Event Takes The Bbc's Flagship Science Fiction Tv Programme, And Its 50th Anniversary In 2013, As A Case Study. Anniversaries Involve The Proliferation Of 'paratexts', E.g. Trailers, Merchandise, And Conventions; This Book Considers How These Paratexts Can Relate To One Another, As Well As Being Incoherent Or Ambiguous Rather Than Cueing Textual Meanings. It Tackles The Brand Anniversary As A 'popular Media Event' That Is Pre-planned And Yet Can Also Be Contingently Disrupted. Analysing How Doctor Who's 50th Worked As A 'bbc Metonym', And How 'public Service Consumption' Has Contributed To The Bbc's Cultural Reproduction Rather Than Harming Its Distinctive Ethos, This Study Demonstrates That Brand Anniversaries Are About Asserting Contemporary Relevance. Doctor Who's 50th Achieved This Via An Innovative 3d Cinema/tv Simulcast. Rather Than Dismissing Anniversaries As Commercial 'pseudo-events', We Need To Take Their Bids For Cultural Value More Seriously. -- Back Cover. Introduction: Media Anniversaries - Brand, Paratext, Event...and The Hype Of The Doctor -- Marketing The 50th Anniversary: Brand Management And The Cultural Value Of The Doctor -- Merchandising The 50th Anniversary: Public Service Consumption In The Name Of The Doctor -- Mediatizing The 50th Anniversary: Cinematic Liveness And The Developing Art Of The Doctor -- References -- Index. Matt Hills. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 109-139) And Index. Brand Anniversaries Have Become A Regular Part Of Today's Popular Culture, Yet They Have Received Surprisingly Little Analysis. Doctor Who: The Unfolding Event Takes The Bbc's Flagship Science Fiction Tv Programme, And Its 50th Anniversary In 2013, As A Case Study. Anniversaries Involve The Proliferation Of 'paratexts', E.g. Trailers, Merchandise, And Conventions; This Book Considers How These Paratexts Can Relate To One Another, As Well As Being Incoherent Or Ambiguous Rather Than Cueing Textual Meanings. It Tackles The Brand Anniversary As A 'popular Media Event' That Is Pre-planned And Yet Can Also Be Contingently Disrupted. Analysing How Doctor Who's 50th Worked As A 'bbc Metonym', And How 'public Service Consumption' Has Contributed To The Bbc's Cultural Reproduction Rather Than Harming Its Distinctive Ethos, This Study Demonstrates That Brand Anniversaries Are About Asserting Contemporary Relevance. Doctor Who's 50th Achieved This Via An Innovative 3d Cinema/tv Simulcast. Rather Than Dismissing Anniversaries As Commercial 'pseudo-events', We Need To Take Their Bids For Cultural Value More Seriously. Introduction: Media Anniversaries : Brand, Paratext, Event And The Hype Of The Doctor -- 1. Marketing The 50th Anniversary : Brand Management And The Cultural Value Of The Doctor -- 2. Merchandising The 50th Anniversary : Public Service Consumption In The Name Of The Doctor -- 3. Mediatizing The 50th Anniversary : Cinematic Liveness And The 'developing Art' Of The Doctor. Matt Hills. Cover 1 Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Table of Contents 7 Acknowledgements 8 Introduction: Media Anniversaries – Brand, Paratext, Event ... and the Hype of the Doctor 10 1 Marketing the 50th Anniversary – Brand Management and the Cultural Value of the Doctor 36 2 Merchandising the 50th Anniversary – Public Service Consumption in the Name of the Doctor 65 3 Mediatizing the 50th Anniversary – Cinematic Liveness and the “Developing Art” of the Doctor 89 References 118 Index 149 Front Matter....Pages i-viii Introduction: Media Anniversaries — Brand, Paratext, Event ... and the Hype of the Doctor....Pages 1-26 Marketing the 50th Anniversary — Brand Management and the Cultural Value of the Doctor....Pages 27-55 Merchandising the 50th Anniversary — Public Service Consumption in the Name of the Doctor....Pages 56-79 Mediatizing the 50th Anniversary — Cinematic Liveness and the “Developing Art” of the Doctor....Pages 80-108 Back Matter....Pages 109-146 "Hills delivers the goods again, with a superb, focused examination of Who that expands and energizes discussion of texts, paratexts, media events, marketing, merchandising, and media temporality. Doctor Who: The Unfolding Event is wonderfully nuanced, thoughtfully composed, and offers as much to those who don't know the Doctor as to those who do."--Jonathan Gray, author of Show Sold Separately: Promos, Spoilers, and Other Media Paratexts The BBC TV series Doctor Who celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2013; this book analyses how promotion, commemorative merchandise and 3D cinema screenings worked paratextually to construct a 'popular media event' while sometimes uneasily integrating public service values and consumerist logics.