The Rich Are Different Than...

An examination into the online behavior of the most affluent or "upper crust" people was an eye-opener for Bill Tancer, Hitwise general manager.

He shared this following anecdote during the SES Chicago keynote on Tuesday to make the point that online marketers have access to information that can inform marketing strategies:

Online brokerage accounts for E-Trade, Schwab, and Fidelity were among the top sites visited by the upper crust last year, according to Tancer.

A year later, guess what? The upper crust was seeking out diversions, taking stock of celebrity news instead of checking on their financial portfolios.

Under this scenario, online brokerages might be making a better bet advertising on PerezHilton.com than on business sites. Or if the market continues its meltdown, CNBC could replace Jim Cramer with Perez.