WHY PEREZ HILTON WANTS YOU TO HATE HIM

Celebrity gossip blogger Perez Hilton has made a lot of enemies in his career, by readers and celebrities alike. So why is he more popular than ever?

The success of a blog is quantified by views and comments. For every reader that posts "I hate you, Perez!" on his site, Hilton earns another dollar from on-site advertisers. (Okay, so that's not an exact formula, but you see where I'm going with this...)

Celebrity enemies are even more valuable. Was the timing of Will.I.Am's "physical attack" on Perez coinciding with the successful release of Black Eyed Peas' latest album really just that, coincidence? Hilton openly admits that he had criticized Will.I.Am to his face on the night of the attack. Could it have been a publicity stunt? Either way, it worked.

Of course, the fame game works both ways: Celebrities recognize the value of Perez's approval, and seek it out regularly. After a public feud on Twitter, Courtney Love and Perez made up just in time for her to headline his SXSW show and announce the return of her band Hole. Hilton and Lady Gaga have the most notably symbiotic relationship, with Hilton introducing many listeners to Gaga in late 08/early 09, before she found commercial radio success. Now-- well, just count her number one singles.

Is this something as a blogger, or as a marketer, that is worth trying? Is there an ethical dilemma in creating hostility for the sake of personal gain? Or can we all recognize that it's all in good fun? I'm thinking of having Allura start a feud with a big-name celebrity to garner some attention. My personal pick? Miley Cyrus.

As Perez Hilton would say, "What do U think?"

4 CHORDS TO TOP 40

Attention musicians: Frustrated that your band can't crack into commercial radio? Maybe you just need to change your chord progression. In this video, Australian comedy group Axis of Awesome shows how often the same four chords have topped Top 40 radio in the past 30 years.




In all seriousness, though... What does this mean for innovative independent artists? I'm sure there's some sort of connection between those four chords and what the human brain likes to hear. But have 
commercial radio stations taken it too far? Are we too reliant on a formula for success?


Personally, I get sick of saying the same song being sung by different artists on the radio. But apparently radio stations would rather "cater" to the "mass market" than tailor themselves to niche markets. I'm sure advertisers play no small part in this decision. But are we missing out on millions of niche listeners?


I'm not satisfied to stick with the safe route. I'm sure Allura would agree with me: Their sound isn't 
exactly what radio stations are clamoring for.


What about you? What are your thoughts on mainstream radio and this amusing yet alarming trend?

The Picture Says It All

Take a minute to really think about this picture. What if someone walked up to you on the street and yelled "SUNDAY, SUNDAY, SUNDAY!!" or "Starbucks Via is better than other instant coffee"? What would you say? It doesn't exactly invite a conversation, does it? 

The core concept behind advertising is the one-way interruption. It's exactly what it sounds like: you're watching your favorite TV show, or listening to the radio, or surfing the web. Suddenly, your entertainment is rudely interrupted by commercials or advertisements. These interruptions often don't address most consumers' concerns about the product, and they certainly don't invite customers to ask questions. Frustrating, isn't it?

What's even more frustrating is that advertising is finding new, more intrusive ways to interrupt us. How many people have gotten an event invitation or message on Facebook hocking the hottest party of the year or the newest singer-songwriter on the scene? An e-mail server glitch at my school this year allowed students to advertise whatever they wanted to the entire school with the click of a button. The situation very nearly almost came to blows, as students expressed their infuriation with the inundation of interruptions. 

Advertising doesn't work. 

It's time to find a new way to market ourselves and our products that invites conversation from our consumers. We must connect and convince, not command. Is it more work than simply advertising? Of course. But it's also more effective.

So here's what I'd like to ask of you: think about a time when you were truly moved or compelled to buy a product. What was the product? What was your motivation to buy the product? And most importantly, how was the product presented to you that made you want to buy it? The more you address and then demand exactly what you want from marketing, the more we as marketers can tailor campaigns to reflect the you as the consumers. So let me know your thoughts on the subject!