So bad it’s good: Why consumers love the worst entertainment

An ASU marketing professor's research investigates why consumers prefer bad movies, video clips, songs, or memes.

In this article published April 17, 2024, on CU Boulder Today:

The researchers demonstrate that the appeal of choosing bad options over better ones depends on the costs involved. Because it's hard to justify spending money on lower-quality products with less functional value, we opt for higher-quality options whenever we care about their usefulness or need them to achieve specific tasks. This helps explain why consumers are more drawn to badness in entertainment contexts: They care more about immediate enjoyment than usefulness when making these choices, and the investment required is minimal compared to other purchases.