Celebrity: Who Needs It?

A recent Pew Research Survey found that 87 percent of the public says celebrity scandals receive too much news coverage. Moreover, they blame the news media, with 54 percent saying the news organizations give too much coverage to celebrities.

How did we get into this mess where the scandals associated with celebrity get so much attention and the good deeds that people do go uncovered? The public seems to blame cable and network news for most of the coverage, with internet news sites not too far behind.

We realized that much of this trend toward celebrity coverage started with the death of Princess Diana. The public couldn't get enough coverage, it seemed. But this was a young mother who was part of the British Royal Family and who, in her own right, had earned the respect of many people for the charities she supported. The news media apparently misinterpreted this interest to mean that every slut who was famous for being famous deserved such detailed coverage. Now, we can't get away from it.

Obviously, advertisers are supporting this coverage in the belief that they will earn eyeballs, but we think the tide is turning. Advertisers and their agencies need to think about whether they want to be associated with something that the public is learning to detest. If people associate your product with such demeaning news, does that make the product more attractive? Are there better ways to spend those advertising dollars that will elevate your product in the eyes of consumers?

It would be quite easy for a public that is getting sick to death of "the famous" and their infamous and silly scandals to turn off this coverage, simply by finding out which advertisers support it and sending them a message. No more!!

If the Pew study is representative (and we think it is), it's time for advertisers to link back to the thinking public and let the news and cable channels talk to themselves.