Dr Kendi Guantai discusses long-term relevance of reality stars
Speaking on BBC Leeds, Dr Kendi Guantai talks about how reality stars, such as those who appear on Love Island, manage their communications and try to stay relevant long-term.
On 3 April, Dr Kendi Guantai spoke to host Rima Ahmed about the public’s perceived turn-around on reality TV stars.
As yet another season of Love Island draws to a close on ITV, it appears as though the influence that the programme’s stars once had upon exiting the villa has dwindled, with many not even managing to grow their social media followings by any significant number.
Dr Guantai is asked if she thinks the public has simply had enough:
The novelty is certainly wearing off. When [reality TV] shows started they were quite organic, quite real and we could relate to the people on screen. Now it is very curated, the storylines are not as real as they once were, and people are getting bored. Love Island in particular is too much now… we know what the format is, it has become quite predictable, and those who are selected are very similar and I think people are not liking it as much as they used to.
While discussing brands that work with reality TV stars, Dr Guantai points out that there is a risk factor from a reputation perspective:
If you are going to have a brand ambassador whom you don’t really know well enough, you don’t know what they’ll do tomorrow.
