Hyped! Health Marketing

Controversial marketing – Now we all know *controversy* sells.

Think Prince Harry and his new book ‘Spare’… Yep, I don’t need to talk anymore on that one.

Controversy gets people talking. It’s what newspapers crave and it’s what formulates many conversations (and disputes) between friends. Most importantly, when used in business well, it allows your brand to spread through word of mouth.

Businesses often avoid controversial topics because of the negative connotations that might be attributed to them if they did.

You may be the type of person who doesn’t care what others think and stands by their own opinion. For strong opinions, particularly strong controversial opinions, there is a market for you. This is because if you have those thoughts, it’s likely that others will too and if you can find them you have found a group of people who can resonate with you and now feel understood.

However, I’d say most business owners and marketeers I meet prefer not to be controversial or to do so tactfully. This is who the following tips are for.

A couple of ways to be controversial which will less likely to get you in trouble are:

a) Using unbiased polls

Whether you are on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, Reddit etc, there is a poll function.

The fantastic thing about polls is that you can bring up a controversial topic without ever stating your opinion.

Let people vote, argue in the comments, discuss, and formulate their opinions. Of course, there is still a level of tact that is needed here. However, if you are smart, you can capitalise on controversial topics that matter to you, without damaging your brand.

b) Using controversial marketing but not being offensive

A brilliant example of this was when Twitter (and newspapers) exploded over the Beans on Weetabix campaign. The ridiculous campaign was trending and multiple food retailers got involved such as Aldi and even Heinz beans themselves.

Don’t get me wrong, beans on cereal is outrageous, but it’s not harming anyone.

c) Facts don’t lie

If you are going to be controversial, check you have the stats to back you up. And not those, 1-study-10-people experiments.

Do you have good-quality data? This could be:

• independent research carried out by reputable companies that have a track record of accuracy, respect and quality

or

• multiple independent studies spanning years of research with large sample sizes, done by multiple different groups of people

If your controversial comments accurately reflect the data from one of these two sources, then you likely have a backed-up controversial statement. One that many can’t argue with (though they may still try).

d) Present different sides of the argument

Presenting different opinions and sides to an argument irrespective of whether you agree with them or not is one way to get people talking as they agree, disagree and argue in the comments section. Be careful not to hint about your opinion though as you may soon become the target of any fire.

e) Just don’t be a bad person

This one speaks for itself, follow it and generally you’ll be alright.