Controversial Marketing: How Does It Work

 Table of Contents

A. What is Controversial Marketing?

B. Different Types of Controversial Marketing

C. Potential Effects of Controversial Marketing 

    C.1 Pros of Controversial Marketing

    C.2 Cons of Controversial Marketing

D. Brands that involved in Controversial Marketing

    D.1 Brands that were successful in doing so

    D.2 Brands that failed in doing so

E. How to effectively use Controversial Marketing as a campaign 

F. Calculated Risks

G. Conclusion

When Pepsi first set out to introduce its brand, it launched with a big boom in China. Pepsi launched its drinks accompanied by a slogan – "Pepsi Brings You Back To Life." Yet, with the faulty Mandarin adaptation, "Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the grave," shadowed Pepsi into a bad light, in a country where ancestors significantly impact the culture. Humour is good, but not when the scenario deals with social issues like violence and racism. However, Pepsi unquestionably had to pull out due to the global opposition it received.

Every marketing campaign aims at generating awareness for the brand, and for that, the marketers create content that forms an impact on the audience. Every coin has two sides, and similarly, there are two kinds of audience perspectives. One can be in favour of the issue that marketers raise in marketing, and the other can be against the issue.

What is Controversial Marketing?

Controversial marketing means deliberately designing promotional content that is likely to develop an argument, agitate debates, and offend the audience. The reason for the strategy being controversial is that it violates the beliefs, sentiments, and values of a particular society. Controversial marketing might be a success or not, but the fact that cannot be denied is that it gives immense popularity to a brand. 

Types of Controversial Marketing

Controversial marketing is a very broad term with numerous aspects to it. While the basic idea is to create controversy among the public, there are several ways of doing that.

These may include:

• disregard for tradition or laws

• some nude or vulgar sexual content promoting obscenity

• define social and moral codes

• define religious and political norms

• simply displaying texts or images promoting horrible or repulsive ideas.

1. Shocking campaigns:

In these kinds of campaigns, the brand in question focuses on a social norm that has been existing for decades and breaks that myth. This shocks the audience and that is how they get aware of the brand in question. These involve social issues which are presented in a way to entice the customer into rethinking their lives.

2. Taboo campaigns:

This particular approach includes topics like female menstruation and has proved to be very successful because there were so many taboos existing in the society that these advertising campaigns are now targeting upon and breaking the myths.

3. Debatable campaigns:

Most controversial ideas would fall under this umbrella. For these topics, the content presents data from both sides of an argument and lets readers drive the discussion. Consequently, the debatable campaigns bear word of mouth; more the discussion, more will be the engagement with the public and more will the brand-in-question be engaged.

Potential Effects of Controversial Marketing

Pros

This is where we come to the most valuable part of this topic, it is needed to be known where controversial marketing is attracting a positive effect on brands, or whether there is any positivity at all.

Here are a few pros of controversial marketing.

1. Draws Attention

In today’s social media-dominated world where everyone is always on their phones and has the space to express their opinions, controversial marketing will stir up conversations about your brand and aid in drawing attention.

2. Creates Brand Awareness

When people start talking, more people will ultimately find out about the brand and it will help in publicity, especially if it is a brand with a smaller budget.

3. Appeals to the right target audience

If your market is on the edgy side, a controversial marketing campaign is likely to resonate with them more than a traditional one could. This can help foster a better connection between them and your brand. 

4. Elicits emotion

The brands touch on those sensitive issues that affect people’s emotions. If the audience connects emotionally with any brand, then it can work in favour of the brand.

Cons

Once a brand knows the cons of some characteristic of marketing, it will be fully equipped for the consequences before leaping into a new frontier.

Here are the few unavoidable impediments of controversial marketing.

1. Can Be Divisive

Public opinion might be split when a marketing campaign is launched. This could lead to a fraction of the public supporting your brand even more, while others adopt a more negative take. 

2. Could Lose Customers

The risk of losing customers is always on the top-notch, should they decide that they’re offended by the controversial marketing efforts while not dealing with it properly might damage the brand totally and people will start choosing the brand’s competitors in the market.

3. Can Lead To More Work

There will be a need to address the concerns of the people voicing their opinions and for that additional time and resources would be needed.

4. Hurt people's sentiments

When a brand challenges the conventional and already existing social and political norms, there are certain groups of people that are bound to get offended. 

Accordingly, controversial marketing stunts are certainly a gamble but as they say in business: the higher the risk, the higher the reward. The secret is to find the sweet spot between being edgy and purposeful. There is a need to back up the campaign with meaning and substance so that people are not provoked for no good reason.

Brands that involved Controversial Marketing

The following are some of the brands which used controversial marketing as their advertising technique and how the market treated them for the same.

Brands that failed in a controversial marketing

Here are a few of the controversial ads that sparked negation in the general public and discoursed apologies! 

1. Heineken's tagline blunder

While marketing its light beer, Heineken started using the tagline ‘sometimes, lighter is better.' Although the tagline is in-offensive by itself, the 30-second TV ad showed a bartender sliding a beer past three black people to a lighter-skinned woman. Many dubbed the TV ad racist (understandably). Having a distinguished voice who amplifies criticism of the marketing campaign, is one of the quickest ways for a brand to come under pressure. 

2. Dove’s - Lotion Ad

In 2017, Dove released a social media ad on their Facebook page of a black woman “transforming” into a white woman. The advert showed a black woman removing her top to reveal a white woman underneath after using Dove’s body lotion. Not only was this advertisement racist, but it’s also insulting to viewers. Have a look at the same.

3. PETA - Save The Whales

This ad is the perfect example of how not to market yourself. Likely the worst part about this ad is that it was intentionally made offensive. Most people are left wondering what was going through the heads of marketers at PETA when they came up with this shameful ad, but, guess it'll never be known. It is perfectly safe to assume this ad campaign didn’t go too well.

4. H&M isn’t the king of the jungle

In January 2018, clothing retailer H&M got into very hot water after casting an African-American boy to model its new hoodie with the message “Coolest Monkey in The Jungle”. Following the incident, H&M released an apology stating, “Our position is simple and unequivocal — we have got this wrong and we are deeply sorry."

Brands that we're successful in Controversial Marketing 

Delve into these 4 edgy and decidedly non-traditional campaigns to see how they broke the contour and found success.

1. Nike’s “Believe in Something.”

Nike’s ad featuring ex-NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who inspired a player protest movement by kneeling during the national anthem during games, as the centre of their “Believe in Something” campaign was one of the most controversial ads in recent memory. The campaign proved to be incredibly successful, especially among Millennial and Gen Z consumers who want their brands to take a stand on social justice issues.

2. Burger King’s “Whopper Neutrality.”

This fast-food chain known for quick and tasty hamburgers waded into a complicated topic like net neutrality, through a commercial based on the hypothesis that customers would need to pay a premium in addition to the normal price for their food if they wanted to get their meals quickly by calling it “Whopper Neutrality.”

With an average of 286,000 views on YouTube, “Whopper Neutrality” got more than 4.6 million views with 127,000 likes vs. 10,000 dislikes -- a very positive ratio.

3. Gillette’s “We Believe: The Best Men Can Be.”

Gillette's “We Believe: The Best Men Can Be” ad had nothing to do with shaving, beards or even personal grooming. Instead, it challenged stereotypes and “toxic masculinity.” When a well-establish shaving company tumbled into the fray of the #MeToo movement to promote a new kind of positive masculinity, it amassed both praise and scorn, but it also immediately went viral and now has more than 30 million views. While people either seemed to love it or hate it, overall it led to unprecedented levels of media coverage and customer engagement.

4. Airbnb's #WeAccept

Airbnb formulated a campaign where the commercial shows a montage of faces of different nationalities blending into one another, with text that reads, “We believe no matter who you are, where you’re from, who you love or who you worship, we all belong. The world is more beautiful the more you accept." 

It highlighted Airbnb’s commitment to providing short-term housing for people in need, including refugees, victims of natural disasters and aid workers, garnering 33,000 tweets in the busy season of the Super Bowl, more than any other advertiser, and the majority were overwhelmingly positive.

How to effectively use Controversial Marketing as a campaign

After considering everything, hosting multiple brainstorms, re-writing copy and finding imagery, an advertisement can be on YouTube in less than five minutes, on the website in fewer than that while it could be out in seconds if published across social media channels but before any marketer hits enter and scatter it into cyberspace, the following should be considered:

1. Put it up for a focus group review.

Should a small group of people that are being paid by the firm be upset or a large group of people that pay them? The idea here is to hire a third-party agency that can conduct a focus group to give an insight into how the ad would work once it's published. 

2. Consider all possible outcomes.

With the focus group, it's easier to predict the reactions that the audience would give. The access to knowing how the positive conclusions would work and formulating plans for unfavourable criticism would be susceptible. 

3. Don’t necessarily pick any side.

Instead of taking the risk of alienating a segment of the audience, points of conversation can be offered that could further drive an intelligent discussion. Sometimes, stirring the conversation about a contentious topic is sufficient which provides exposure without extensive backlash. 

4. Widen perspectives.

Trying to encourage the audience to tackle a controversial subject from a more compassionate point of view and inspiring people to look at things from a different perspective can powerfully resonate with them. 

Calculated Risks

As one can see from the examples above, controversial marketing always entails risks. But to alleviate such, there is a need to have a perfect understanding of the target audience.

One can't always please everyone but if they can see that the message is founded on the core values of the firm advertising and not just done to jump on a bandwagon (see: Pepsi), then there’s a good chance for the controversial marketing to resonate with the people with whom the companies foster a connection with.

Conclusion

All said and done, there is no doubt that controversial marketing is the trend nowadays and a lot of brands are adopting this form of marketing. With digital media booming like never before, it becomes easier for brands to even market the campaigns along with the products or the ideas. This surely generates a buzz among the public, with apologies included, no cap.

High-end luxury brands do not advertise their products

Lamborghini expressed a few years ago that they do not spend any money on TV advertising since their shoppers usually don't have sufficient time to hunch and watch TV.

So how does Lamborghini do it?

Well, it's all essentially portrayal and manifestation. Luxury brands offer expensive products that only a few with money can afford which narrows down their audiences.

What Qualifies as a Luxury Brand?

Qualification of a luxury brand can be brought down to the three Es:

Expensive, Excellent, and Exclusive.

Luxury products are synonymous with high price tags but they also need to be excellent and exclusive. This is the most common indicator of luxury, yet it is also the most misleading. The quality has to match the price tag. It cannot be classified into a luxury product if everyone has it. Often, exclusivity is achieved by price.

Here is a list of 6 such brands that relish in the notion of 'Good things need not be talked about and thus don't advertise much and are still ridiculously famous-

• ZARA - Spending only about 0.3% of sales on advertising, ZARA has become one of the most sought-after apparel brands.

• Rolls Royce - The brand reaps the benefits from its reputation among its wealthy clientele. Just saying, the brand beat a 107-year-old sales record without any traditional ads.

• Shahnaz Husain - With the marketing strategy as "the best advertisement is when the public says it's good," Shahnaz has always marketed based on its unprecedented range of quality products, without spending much on traditional advertising media.

• Tupperware (India Market) - The brand's only strategy was to demonstrate to their prospective clients the product benefits at women-only parties.

• Naturals Ice Cream - This brand has never advertised and only relied on word of mouth which has led them to a market share of over 10% now.

• Krispy Kreme - This brand has never spent huge proportions on traditional media and relies majorly on word-of-mouth. The relatively speculate in investing in digital, apps, social and their employees.

These brands beautifully emanate that showing off is not always the only way to promote your company. Quality is the main key to success irrespective of the field. Thus, all brands should focus on spending money on the quality of the product rather than advertising it.

How do luxury brands promote themselves?

Luxury brands don't advertise, but they promote themselves differently. With mainstream brands pushing up into the premium classifications and conventional luxury fashion and fixture brands moving into the crowded market, real luxury has to discern itself cleverly and distinctively to secure its cachet and mystique.

Here are the top five strategies for advertising luxury brands.

A) Use of social media to share on-brand images and reinforce premium product desirability

Luxury brands should not condone the impact of social media on their digital marketing. Instagram and Twitter are raw arteries for luxury brands to showcase the loaded lifestyle and designer flavours of their target audience.

B) Create a sense of exclusivity through perks

Luxury brands should strive to build their email lists, just like other brands. The email list gives you credible passages to your customers, who have indicated by opting in that they want to hear from you.

C) Invest in aspirational content marketing

Luxury brands have millions of followers who may be unable to purchase brand products, but who crave the look and aura of the brand. Aspirational target marketing is a great way to target these consumers, retain their interest, and position them to become a consumer when they can afford it.

D) Use digital means to tell your story

Luxury brands have always told their story to captivate customers, but the digital realm offers even more ways for brands, from constructing videos to share online, proposing a high-profile influencer a visit to their facility (which must then be shared socially), telling their story on their website to use other digital means and vocalising their portrayals.

E) Don't forget about search engines (SEO)

Luxury brands must not neglect ancestral SEO ploys to get their products found in search. Follow up decent SEO with a website that showcases your brand's temperament and products, but is spontaneous. This way, shoppers energetically searching for your products will be able to renovate via your website.

The target audience for luxury brands

Based on the luxury market reports, today's luxury brand target audiences are 25 to 44 years old, which embodies 64 per cent of this comprehensive audience. Yet, it is instructed not to sleep on the younger, newer generation between 16 and 24 years of age receptacles, also known as Generation Z. They're another big slab of the Luxury Brands target audience.

While there will still be the steps to put in marketing endeavours for consumers in their 40s, it's the younger and thus unusual groups to be a core mark for the brands.

The following are the age frames to be enlightened with the amenity of the luxury brands:

• Generation Z

Generation Z includes those born between 1997 and 2003, making them 16 to 22 years old today. With this generation never seeing life without the Internet, it unquestionably makes a connotation how it, being privy to a lot of brands and companies, is the most moldable to the leverage of social media and hence, the luxury commodities in demand and sensation.

• Millennials

Millennials are no longer the youngest kids born between 1983 and 1996. That makes today's millennials 23 to 36 years old. Although the upswing of this age was without the Internet, luxuries arrived when most millennials were maturing from childhood. From being the first ones to use social media protocols like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to be the extraordinary shoppers, this generation glommed into it quickly, now that they have money to spend as they see fit.

• Older Millennials

They're too old to be millennials, as that group cuts off after you're 36. Up to 33 per cent of them regularly treat themselves to luxury goods. They don't buy them as souvenirs often (15 per cent). This group is also too young to be Generation X, which are those 43 to 56 years old. Only seven per cent of Generation X adults buy luxury products often. Even more of them, 27 per cent, said they do so rarely so proceeds are plausible to not be amassed from this faction.

Keeping in mind the values they appreciate and then having the apt knowledge of what advertising tactics can be used, the marketing of the products of luxury brands is effective and efficient.

Some anti-laws of marketing for luxury brands

I) Don't pander to your customers' wishes.

II) Don't respond to rising demand.

III) Dominate the client.

IV) Make it difficult for clients to buy.

V) Communicate to those whom you are not targeting.

VI) The presumed price should always seem higher than the actual price.

VII) Luxury sets the price; price does not set luxury.

VIII) Raise your prices as time goes on, to increase demand.

Hence, building a tale behind a luxury brand is the only way to keep up being competitive in these tough moments. Building trust and relationship with the consumers is far more important than an advertisement and that is what sails the ships of luxury brands.

What sets these brands apart is how unique they allocate their marketing pennies and their idea of flouting the age-old pursuits that the traditional marketers seek. Their compelling growth, without going heavy on advertising, is a provocation for all.