At this link http://www.ebay.de/itm/-/262229635176 you can participate in the auction for the “Ben Klock Original Banana from NYE Closing at Berghain.” At the moment I am writing, the price already grew to 5,- Euros. The informational text which explains the value of the product is a perfect example of an emotionalisation strategy in Marketing:
I kissed his [Ben Klock’s] hand, he kissed mine [yours, if you buy this] and the Banana was the physical bond of ours, of this moment.
Romanticizing the moment of the interchange of the banana is part of its myth and its appeal for a buyer. You are not only buying a banana, but the objectification of the special bond between the last raver that asks for the finale and the closing DJs of the party. The mythos grows exponentially since we are talking about Ben Klock’s closing set at NYE in Berghain.
You are buying the pinnacle of one year of sweat, raving, joyful moments on the dance floor. Tons of memories are enwrapped in this banana, a fruit which already has a special place in the techno scene. A banana is something you can always eat, has a lot of nutrients, and which you share with your peers while you recharge your batteries for next round of dancing.
But this is not all, the text goes on in its use of Ben Klock not only as a superstar who becomes a normal person who eats bananas and hands them freely to the crowd:
Ben Klock had this Banana with him to consume after his almost 12 hours long Closing Set on January 4th at Berghain/Panorama Bar in Berlin, Germany.
But he didn't!!
As if Ben Klock himself realized the importance of the banana and after that he couldn’t consume it anymore. It’s as if Ben Klock enjoyed the set so much and felt so loved that he had to give something back, a symbol for his gratitude. What better then the banana he intended to eat? He chooses deprive himself of the healing powers of the banana and turns it into an object which existence level is between an art object and a memorial statue. Or a picture between the crowd and himself (unfortunately pictures are forbidden tough).
There are many more levels to be analyzed in this funny Berghain-Art Banana auction on eBay. But I stop here. Just a small last detail: the Banana which now looks so yummy is probably going to be rotted after one week of world coverage (the length of the auction). Whatever. It’s not about the actual banana, right?
