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?"
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My view: It is all about SWOT. In this case an attack on Hilton could be a negative to the success of a celebrity...or.... it could be an opportunity to exploit for financial gain. It is all how you spin it. This culture that we currently live is driven by celebrity (it always has been). The celebrity is all that we want to be and everything they do is what we want to do...so, we can connect to them through their adventures and misadventures... which mean our lives are not boring anymore as we live it through them....[sic] we are happy...
ReplyDeleteKimo
My favorite Miley Cyrus parody: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAowjjHgKks
ReplyDeleteI'll comment again when I can think of something better to say. But for now, enjoy the video.
This is SUCH a good point. Celebrities are always pulling some kind of controversy out of nowhere "just in time" for their new movie/album/single release.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I think pregnancy is the BIGGEST thing right now. Half of the reality shows have pregnant teens or women as stars. I wonder if the number of pregnant women for the past year has been outrageous?
Check out pregnancy pact! It's a true story about a bunch of teenage girls who make a pact to get pregnant at the same time. It's insane.
It's amazing how celebrities and tv life can impact a normal person's life!