Should You Use Provocative Advertising?
Musings about those times when people really do talk about your ads
Waves of popular outrage shake social media way too often. A hefty part of this outrage is caused not by lying politics or celebrity divorces, but by certain advertising campaigns.
Provocative or controversial ads aren’t always a result of mismanagement, unaccounted cultural quirks, or poor quality control. Once in a while, brands produce deliberately provocative advertising to draw people’s attention to acute social problems or simply create more hype around their products. Yet, whether such advertising is a useful promotion tool or an unethical way to a destroyed reputation is itself a debatable question.
This piece won’t explicitly tell if you should use it, but we will highlight some basic pros and cons, so you’ll figure it out.
What’s Cool About Provocative Ads
The first and most obvious thing is that provocative ads get extra publicity. Studies show that shocking content is more likely to cut through the noise and be remembered. Thus, if your ad is somewhat shocking more people will notice and remember it.
Speaking of extra publicity, shocking advertising campaigns tend to go viral, providing you with armies of inadvertent social media managers. People will share your provocative ads to tell others how outrageous or clever they are.
Another cool thing is that sometimes brands and non-profits pay for shocking advertising to raise awareness about serious problems. In 1992 Benetton used a now-famous photo of a dying HIV/AIDS activist David Kirby for their advertising campaign. Kirby’s family allowed the company to use the picture to show the world the effects of AIDS, which was a tabooed topic at the time. As a result the photo was seen by millions of people and Benetton got their publicity, both good and bad.
What’s Not Cool About Provocative Ads
The pros and cons of such ads are uncomfortably close. The exact same publicity that gives companies booming sales can push certain groups of people hard enough to boycott and products and even vandalise the company’s property.
Going further, a spicy ad can simply be banned in certain countries. There are different censorship and advertising rules in different places. Advertising campaigns that exploit nudity, violence, religion or other sensitive topics may be a waste of money and effort if they are forbidden to publish. In addition, the company may be fined, thus wasting even more funds.
Finally, even if a brand makes a provocative ad with the best intentions, it can easily be misinterpreted and lead to undesired consequences. In 2018 the UK’s cosmetic products brand LUSH published their #SpyCops campaign aimed to raise awareness about undercover police units. Some people perceived the message as anti-police, which resulted in incidents in LUSH’s stores and forced the company to release an explanatory statement.
So What?
You’ve probably heard marketing people saying “there’s no such thing as bad publicity.” Although this particular claim is too one-sided and exaggerated, even an ad that makes people mad can ramp up sales. Still, this is by no means a reason to be offencive with your advertising.
It might be a good idea to make your ad stand out and go viral, but there are lines you shouldn’t cross. As a rule of thumb you should stay away from anything that is bad and ends with “-ism”, like “racism.” Other things, such as showing too much skin or cracking a sick dad joke, can make a good slightly shocking ad but you are less likely to regret those as much. In any case, think twice before attempting it.
