(image: https://www.superdream.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/controversial.jpg alt: )
Pushing the boundaries of controversy is nothing new in marketing, with Marmite’s ‘Animal Rescue’ campaign just the latest in a long line of shocking adverts from brands worldwide. ASA received (link: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/marmite-sparks-controversy-as-poor-taste-advert-faces-ban-for-mimicking-animal-cruelty-documentary-8750047.html text: 250 complaints about the ad in the first 24 hours), with viewers feeling it trivialised animal cruelty – a cause close to the hearts of many animal-loving Brits.
Sure, a controversial campaign draws attention to your brand, but is this always a positive thing? Should brands be more careful when pushing the boundaries of taste?
**Why do brands shock?**
In today’s society we are constantly bombarded by imagery and advertising campaigns via laptops, smart phones and tablets, at work and home. The (link: https://www.superdream.co.uk/visual-content-for-business/ text: way we consume content is changing). Brands feel like they need to make themselves stand out to be noticed by an audience with increasingly short attention spans, and many see creating a shocking campaign as the obvious way to do this.
It is important to draw the line between coming up with a clever and shocking concept however, and using cheap tricks to get attention in an immoral way. There are obvious benefits to using shock advertising, but if you upset and alienate part of your consumer demographic you are going to do your brand more harm than good.
(link: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/03/unilever-apologises-flora-advert-south-africa text: Unilever’s homophobic Flora advert) for South Africa seemed to suggest that finding out your child is gay is similar to being shot through the heart. The commercial was designed by an agency based in Johannesburg, and showed a bullet with the words “Uhh dad I’m gay” written across it, travelling towards a china heart. The tagline was “You need a strong heart today”.
Naturally, this upset a huge amount of people and Flora quickly withdrew the campaign. While this obviously got Unilever a lot of coverage, they are more likely to have lost a proportion of their consumer base than boosted their profile in a positive manner.
**Accidental Controversy**
Sometimes companies cause controversy by accident through a poorly researched and thought-through concept, spelling disaster for their brand. Absolut Vodka’s 2008 campaign was intended to tap into Mexican national pride, but back-fired disastrously, resulting in (link: http://www.foxnews.com/story/2008/04/07/vodka-maker-apologizes-for-ad-depicting-southwest-as-part-mexico/ text: angry calls for a boycott by US consumers.)
The advert showed a map from the 1800s, when Mexico owned Texas, California and other South West states, with the tagline ‘In an Absolut World’. Absolut was perhaps unaware that there are Mexican-American extremists that believe Mexico should claim back parts of the United States, so this was really not an appropriate topic to joke about. It was especially poorly timed as the US was increasing border security during a debate over illegal immigration during this period.
**Shock advertising done well**
There are times that controversial ad campaigns are shocking in an intelligent and though provoking way. (link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-17251461 text: A 2012 advertising campaign by the Home Office) tackles the issue of teen rape in a sensitive manner, yet is very hard-hitting.
The government is concerned that while they know it’s wrong, teenagers aren’t always clear on what constitutes rape. The ad shows a teenage boy watching his own actions as an outsider from behind an invisible wall. (link: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/teenagers-asked-would-you-see-rape-as-ad-campaign-goes-live2 text: Nick Clegg said) of the advertisement: “We want to bring this issue out into the open and get young people talking about the importance of consent.”
The viewer is asked “if you could see yourself, would you see rape?” It is very effective in getting teenagers to question their behaviour and look at it from the perspective of an outsider. We can see in this case the advert is not controversial merely to get a brand noticed, but to make people think more carefully about an important issue.
**Should I consider shock advertising for my business?**
When trying to raise awareness for a worthy cause shocking people into considering it – for instance a hard-hitting campaign about forgetting to wear your seatbelt – is worthwhile.
However, creating a controversial campaign for a frivolous product is likely to upset consumers. Viewers will know you are just finding a way to get their attention, and often won’t admire your company for this. It is easy to make your brand look ignorant and offend your dedicated consumers with shock advertising, which isn’t a risk worth taking.
There are ways to create attention-grabbing campaigns without offending or upsetting your audience. For instance, ethical outdoor label Patagonia ran a (link: http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/trends/are-shock-tactics-back/4005401.article text: ‘Don’t Buy this Jacket’ campaign) during Christmas 2012, with giant billboards showing their product bearing the unusual tagline. While there was no way the ad would offend anyone, it was very effective in gaining interest within a saturated seasonal market. The reaction via social media was phenomenal, and contributed to the brand’s rapid expansion.
Aiming to make your brand stand out like this with an amazing concept and well considered campaign is the best way to gain the respect of the consumer market.