When you try your best, but you don’t succeed. To get what you want, just pay heed to Ipsos’s effectiveness experts, Samira Brophy and Eleanor Thornton-Firkin. They believe more brands should court controversy... just look at the engagement around the Coldplay kiss cam scandal.
In the age of online ‘cancellations’ and constant backlash, the old saying that “all publicity is good publicity” may not ring true for many. Every week, a new brand flashes across the public consciousness, accused of wrongdoing. But, then it is forgotten, often leaving only an imprint, if any, of reputational damage.
The most recent of these is Astronomer. For those not extremely online, the AI tech firm’s CEO and chief people officer were caught embracing at a Coldplay concert, on a Jumbotron, no less. The video of their reactions went viral, causing the CEO to resign and Astronomer to be caught in a whirlwind of negative earned and social media coverage.
However, while this is clearly a unique situation with potentially devastating personal consequences, brand crises are also increasingly frequent and rarely as impactful. And sometimes even beneficial.
There are lots of reasons for this, but one of the main ones is that companies are often on the frontline of growing tensions in our society.
Our Ipsos Global Trends study of people across 50 markets shows that three-quarters (75%) say there is rising conflict between people who hold different sets of values. And just under half (46%) say the same about differences of opinion within their own families.
Advertisement
It’s not just increasing tensions brands have to contend with, but growing expectations as well.
We live in an increasingly ‘bumper sticker’ world where values and affiliations have weight and are often tested online. The proportion of the public across 19 markets who say they “tend to buy brands that reflect my personal values” rose from 53% in 2013 to 69% in 2024.
We also know that some of this is being driven by younger consumers, who will only grow in their purchasing power.
So what happens when a crisis hits?
The answer depends on the source and whether it was reactive, strategic, unintentional or a manufactured crisis.
Take the backlash Boots briefly faced over Christmas for its ad featuring Bridgerton actor Adjoa Andoh as Mrs. Claus and a diverse cast of elves who run Santa’s workshop. The LGBT+ casting, a woman in charge, and the sleepy (lazy) Santa ruffled feathers. As demonstrated by Ipsos Synthesio, there was a spike in negative online conversations.
Not only did Boots survive this backlash, but it also arguably thrived off it, increasing web traffic by 15% in the week after the ad broke compared to the seven days previous. Over Christmas, Boots had a 25% share of voice, the highest of any brands Ipsos tracked in our Race to Christmas 2024.
Some brands actually aim for controversy.
You might wonder why any business would go looking for trouble. But in fact, it’s pretty simple. We delivered a session on this very topic at Cannes, alongside Creative Equals. We argued that controversy is a key driver of social power. Ultimately, most brands and ads generate very little discussion or mentions online. However, one of the ways to have a pulse is to have an opinion, and this often comes with a risk.
Advertisement
Splitting your audience can be a highly effective way to create brand interest.
44% of GB adults agree with the statement “For better or worse, I pay attention when brands get involved with political and social issues”, versus 25% who disagree.
When you have the spotlight shining on you, you have an opportunity to speak to a wider audience than your usual suspects. If you are doing something genuinely innovative or interesting or have a particular message you want to land, now is the time. Especially if you’re relying more on discovery as a startup or challenger brand.
Just look at how e.l.f. Beauty continues to win women over with punchy perspectives. The highly awarded ‘So many Dicks’ campaign reminds us that there are more men named Dick (Richard, Rich, and Rick) on US public corporate boards than entire groups of underrepresented people.
Taking a stand has helped the brand get noticed and share its values.
Coca-Cola, Burger King and many others have had recent ‘controversies’, some of them planned, some not. Barring one or two exceptions, the broad trend shows that it doesn’t often go badly wrong and most of the time it goes right. While internet ire can cause pain, broadly, consumer opinion and actual behaviour are typically very sticky. It is also based on so much more than just brand – such as convenience, price and experience.
Advertisement
We still don’t think it’s quite true that all publicity is good publicity, but the path of least resistance is also the way to Dullsville. Embracing the odd bit of well-thought-through controversy can be a useful way to drive attention, clarify your values and have a personality. And that can be worth its weight in edgelord angst in a bumper sticker world.
And if controversy comes unexpectedly knocking, like it did for Astronomer, there is opportunity in the chaos.