Music micro-celebrities and TikTok in digital music promotion: the case of Blanca Vergara

Main Article Content

Lourdes Gallardo Hurtado
David Selva Ruiz

Abstract

The case of Blanca Vergara is analysed as a successful artist who, through the practice of microcelebrity and the strategic use of TikTok, creates her own musical career in a self-produced way and outside the music industry since 2020, being a pioneer in the use of TikTok as a space for musical promotion in Spain. The essential elements of her career and her strategic use of TikTok are analysed in order to understand the success of her career and the change in the generation of online attention. An exploratory design is established and the case study method is used with a mixed design consisting of a structured interview with the artist, a quantitative analysis in social media and a discourse analysis. The results indicate that the artist creates a brand universe and musical product with a great capacity for connection. Secondly, she carries out a discourse of authenticity based on the self-revelation of the private, while there is little prescriptive function. Thirdly, it has a community of fans that gives it authenticity and visibility to the project, with whom it maintains a close relationship as if it were a friend. Finally, she uses TikTok as the main communication space where she can develop this authenticity through natural and amateur content, as well as giving greater visibility to her musical project.

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Section

BRANDING AND ONLINE BRAND PRESCRIPTORS

Author Biographies

Lourdes Gallardo Hurtado, University of Cádiz

Teacher and researcher in the Department of Marketing and Communication at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Communication (Av. de la Universidad, 4, 11405, Jerez de la Frontera, Spain) of the University of Cadiz (lourdes.gallardo@uca.es). Her main lines of research revolve around microcelebrity and celebrity culture, the music industry, social media, digital communication strategies and popular culture. She defended her doctoral thesis in 2023 with a cum laude qualification. She graduated in Advertising and Public Relations and completed the Master's Degree in Digital and Social Marketing Management at the University of Cadiz, where she was also awarded an extraordinary prize for her degree and master's degree.

David Selva Ruiz, University of Cádiz

Professor in the Department of Marketing and Communication at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Communication (Av. de la Universidad, 4, 11405, Jerez de la Frontera, Spain) of the University of Cadiz (david.selva@uca.es). His teaching work focuses on advertising creativity and new commercial media. His research work focuses on new trends and media in communication and popular culture, with dozens of academic publications in books and scientific journals. His book El videoclip. Comunicación comercial en la industria musical (Alfar, 2014). He holds a PhD from the University of Seville.

How to Cite

Gallardo Hurtado, L., & Selva Ruiz, D. (2024). Music micro-celebrities and TikTok in digital music promotion: the case of Blanca Vergara. Journal ICONO 14, 22(1), e2100. https://doi.org/10.7195/ri14.v22i2.2100

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