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Marketing Research: Fascination With Celebrity = Monkey's Asses. Yup.

Monkey

I've been using this example a lot in client meetings lately because it tells a pretty compelling story about why we can't turn off TMZ and have 18 subscriptions to US Weekly.

From a 2005 ABC News article:

Dr. Michael Platt, a neurobiologist at Duke University Medical Center, led an experiment with 12 adult male rhesus macaque monkeys that he says may help explain the fascination with celebrities like socialite Paris Hilton.

Platt conducted the experiment by offering thirsty monkeys a choice: their favorite drink, in this case Juicy Juice cherry juice, or the opportunity to look at computer images of the dominant, "celebrity" monkey of their pack.

Despite their thirst, they chose to look at the pictures.

"What is celebrity for a monkey but their status?" said Platt.

Monkeys with status have food, power and sexual magnetism -- everything the others crave. The impulse to look at these "celebrity" monkeys was so strong, it superceded thirst.

But they were not willing to give up the juice to look at pictures of subordinate monkeys, Platt found. In fact, they had to be bribed with extra juice to watch the rhesus riffraff.

Interestingly, the "celebrity" monkeys, says Platt, were just as interested in their fellow celebrities.

The male monkeys were also willing to pay (with more juice) to see female monkeys' hind quarters. Monkey porn?

 

So what do you think, does obsessing over celebrities make us a monkey's ass?  No comment.

Behavioral Marketing

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