As well as being cute, animals can be formidable cash machines. Some, like Moo Deng, Grumpy Cat, or Choupette, have become influencers in their own right – much to the delight of the internet users who follow them on social networks, and especially that of their owners.
With her expressive eyes and chubby figure, Moo Deng has it all. So it’s hardly surprising that this baby pygmy hippopotamus has become an internet sensation ever since Thailand’s Khao Kheow Open Zoo began sharing videos of her on social media.
Some of them show the animal, whose name means “bouncy pig”, taking a bath or spending time with her mother, Jona.
The zoo where Moo Deng was born quickly recognised the hippo’s highly viral potential and decided to make her one of its mascots. The BBC reports that 128 of the last 150 posts by the zoo on social networks have been about Moo Deng.
The zoo has also created a range of clothing products bearing the effigy of this semiaquatic mammal, aimed especially at her many fans.
Indeed, visitors from all over are flocking to see Moo Deng in the flesh, rather than onscreen. “The number of Thai and foreign visitors recently surged to 15,000 from around 2,000-3,000 in the same period last year,” said Attaporn Sriheran, director of the Zoological Park Organisation of Thailand, speaking to the Bangkok Post.
Brands have also been riding the Moo Deng wave for commercial gain: the Thai subsidiary of Sephora recently ran an advertising campaign for a range of blushes that, it claimed, allowed customers to “wear your blush like a baby hippo”, in a nod to Moo Deng’s rosy cheeks.
The business of ‘petfluencers’
The hype surrounding this pygmy hippopotamus is reminiscent of the online crazes for other famous animals. Take Grumpy Cat, for example: this cranky-looking cat, whose dental malocclusion was linked to a genetic condition called feline dwarfism, became an internet sensation in the 2010s.
She appeared in countless online memes, as well as on merchandise like T-shirts, shoes, mugs, cushions, greeting cards and more. The cat’s face was everywhere, much to the delight of owner Tabatha Bundesen and her brother Bryan, who founded Grumpy Cat Ltd to manage the cat’s image rights and collect royalties.
Grumpy Cat, who passed away in 2019, is said to have generated millions of dollars since her first photos were posted on the web in 2012.
Some animals have also become stars in their own right thanks to their owners’ fame. Such is the case of Choupette, the Burmese cat of the late fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld.
With over 264,000 followers on Instagram, the feline is sitting on a small fortune of over €3 million, according to sources, thanks to the many advertising campaigns in which she has starred. She has also reportedly inherited as much as US$13 million from her late human.
Meanwhile, Olivia Benson, one of the three cats owned by US singer Taylor Swift, could be worth some US$97 million, according to the Ultimate Pet Rich List.
Indeed, pets don’t need an extraordinary physique or a well-known owner to amass followers on social networks and attract the attention of advertisers. The internet is full of so-called “petfluencers” – brands are crazy about these furry and feathered icons who manage to win over netizens thanks to their cuteness.
In a study published in the journal Psychology & Marketing, researchers from Italy’s LUISS university claim that petfluencers engage consumers more than other content creators because they are seen as being more credible than human influencers. In other words, pets make good salespeople.
Still, while their business potential is undeniable, the use of animals as ambassadors needs to be carefully considered by brands. After all, petfluencers need to be protected in the same way as their human counterparts.
Case in point: Moo Deng has been the victim of cruel behavior on the part of visitors to Khao Kheow Open Zoo, some throwing shells at her or splashing her with water in an attempt to get her to react.
To protect their golden goose, the zoo’s director installed cameras around her enclosure, and has also threatened to take legal action against anyone who mistreats the hippopotamus.