The use of nude celebrities in development communication campaigns

Marie Claire’s ‘The Naked Issue’ (2009) edition is controversial as it has been criticized by both the public and popular press for using a sensationalist approach to women abuse as a promotional tool for the magazine itself, rather than using the magazine as a vehicle to create public awareness regarding women abuse. Against this background the goal of this book is to present a development communication reading of the views of selected readers of Marie Claire’s ‘The Naked Issue’ (2009) edition. This was achieved by way of a literature review and an analysis of the data collected during in-depth interviews. The interviewees questioned whether the development effort had the ability to raise awareness for women abuse based on the use of nude photographs, the development effort and its fit with the Marie Claire brand. The analysis should shed some light and contribute to the body of knowledge in the exciting fields of Popular culture and Development communication. This book would be useful to media professionals who may consider using celebrities as part of a development communication campaign.