Monkey See, Monkey Do

July 26, 2007 – 7:07 pm

Posted in marketing

There was recently an article about a study which concluded that obesity is contagious. If you had obese friends, you yourself had a greater chance of being obese. The opposite was also true — if you had very fit friends, you would be more likely to be fit yourself.

This makes sense as behavior is learned and is definitely influenced by your environment. These conclusions can also be translated to other areas. Look at celebrities who are in the news today — Michael Vick had a higher chance of getting into his current legal troubles due to the company he kept; Lindsay Lohan is wrapped up in drinking and drug issues because of the party culture she hangs out in.

This is why word of mouth and viral marketing works. The things you do and products you buy are definitely influenced by your friends and the environment you live in. Monkey see, monkey do.