2011 in Review: The “In” Crowd

While our previous post confirmed that Betty White was the most famous face of the year, we thought it’d be fun to dive a little deeper into the data to find out – among the 35 celebrities and personalities we asked about this year – who lands at the top of the “In” Crowd list for 2011.

This all is, of course, according to the What’s Hot/What’s Not section of our monthly Consumer Intentions & Actions® survey¹. Each month, more than 8,000 respondents have the opportunity to rate a list of trends, personalities, events, etc. as “hot” or “not”; the items we ask about are based on input from our respondents from the previous month’s survey as well as a variety of current trending topics.

Let’s first cover 2011’s Top 5, and then we’ll attempt to answer some burning questions about some of the most talked about people of the year.

The “In” Crowd List

“Girl Power” could be the theme for 2011’s hottest celebrities. The incomparable Betty White leads the ladies-only Top 5 list, while two singing sirens and a pair of America’s sweethearts follow:

1. Betty White (Feb-11)²: Please…who doesn’t love Betty?
2. Jennifer Lopez (May-11): The American Idol beauty has been around the block, but she seems to be all the better off for it…diva-in-training Lady Gaga (Mar-11) peaked at #10 this year.
3. Beyoncé (Jul-11): Even pre-baby bump, Beyoncé was a hit…but that seems to come with the territory when you are recognized by a one-name moniker.
4. Reese Witherspoon (Apr-11): While respondents weren’t quite so receptive to Water for Elephants, they still really responded to Reese. Girl also got hitched this year…and who doesn’t love a happily ever after?
5. Anne Hathaway (Mar-11): Recall that Anne was the more successful of the OSCAR® hosts this year. (Co-host James Franco (Mar-11) landed at #27 on this list, out of the 35 contenders).

Q&A

While these aren’t necessarily questions from our readers, we thought we’d give a little insight on a few other famous faces turned trending topics in 2011…

Q: When it comes to Pippa Middleton and Kim Kardashian, who has the best…um…well…you know?
A: Pippa (#14, Jun-11), who nearly stole the show at the Royal Wedding, is the fanny favorite over Kim K. (#16, Aug-11). Interestingly, the post-“wedding” Kardashian family isn’t fairing so well with consumers (#30, Dec-11).

Q: Aren’t there any guys on this list?
A: Two and A Half Men newbie [and pre-split-from-Demi] Ashton Kutcher (Sept-11) was the highest ranking male on the “In” Crowd list at #7. But he faced some tough competition from the Muppets (#6, Nov-11), and Alvin & the Chipmunks (Dec-11) were HOT on his tail.

Q: Where’s the Biebs? I love him. [OK, I added that last bit for dramatic comic effect.]
A: Justin Bieber (Dec-11) was actually the next highest ranking male to make it in the “In” Crowd this year (at #13). The Boy with the Amazing Hair [the sarcasm should be palpable now] bested several of Hollywood’s hottest hunks: Ryan Reynolds (#18, Jun-11), Matt Damon (#19, Jan-11), Tom Cruise (#25, Dec-11), Bradley Cooper (#26, May-11), and Ryan Gosling (#28, Nov-11…please see Crazy, Stupid, Love. for my rebuttal on his low ranking).

Do you have a suggestion for the 2012 What’s Hot/What’s Not list or see anything surprising in this list? Please leave a comment below.

And, for more information on this data, please contact BIGinsight™.

¹ Hottest Trends for 2011 are limited to the 145 trends, personalities, events, etc. that were included in one of the 12 2011 Consumer Intentions & Actions® Surveys. Looking for Ryan Gosling, Charlie Sheen, Pippa Middleton, Keurig Coffee Makers, Occupy Wall Street, or Groupon? We got ‘em. Sorry about your luck on George Clooney, Zooey Deschanel, beach vacations, any of the Real Housewives, or Sperry Topsiders; they just didn’t make the our cut this year.

² The month/year each item was asked is denoted in parenthesis (MMM-YY).

Source: Consumer Intentions & Actions® Survey, JAN – DEC 2011

© 2011, Prosper®

BIGinsight™ is a trademark of Prosper Business Development Corp.

Advertisement