Björn_Havard
VIP Member
So, I've seen a lot, And I mean a LOT of people on social media complaining about American Eagle and their ad. So, I wanted to point out, yes it was intentional. But it was so they got more attention. There's a thing in business called "controversial marketing" it intentionally uses a controversial subject to spark debates and garner more media attention then it would normally. People have called it a "political dog whistle" but in order for that to be true, it first had to be political.
Now, American Eagle wasn't the only company that utilized this strategy. Numerous companies have. Some worked, some didn't but that's business.
2024, bumble did a campaign that poked at religious choices. Their campaign lines were "a vow of celibacy is not the answer" and "thou shalt not give up on dating and become a nun." It was not a successful one.
In 2018, KFC in the UK switched their words around on the bottom of their buckets to "fck" it was not taken well.
2020, Bristol dry Gin basically saying BLM was exploitative and deeply insensitive. It was taken down quickly.
2010s, Dettol basic said it's disinfectant was ideal for cleaning up a murder. It was probably aimed at crime scene cleaners but yeah.
2017, Pepsi was accused of trivializing social justice movements by having Kendall Jenner had a police officer a Pepsi during a traffic stop.
2017, this one was messed up. Dove showed a black woman turning white after using Dove body wash. I actually don't think that was controversial. That was plain racist.
And in 2019, Gillette with "the best men can be" tackled toxic masculinity. People felt it unfairly stereotyped men. It had a short spike in the younger demographics, which is where they were going for.
Now some successful controversial marketing.
Nike with Kaepernick and the "believe in something" they got $43 million in free media, 31% increase in sales, and a record high stock price.
Burger king: Whopper neutrality. 4.6 million YouTube views and overwhelming amount of positive reviews.
Benetton: unhate. It showed world leaders kissing. But got massive global attention and awards. Some photos had to be pulled.
And Dove with their real beauty campaign. They got long term loyal customers and had a cultural impact.
So see, even though the companies do things like AE, they do it to increase sales and media attention. And it's working is it not?
Now, American Eagle wasn't the only company that utilized this strategy. Numerous companies have. Some worked, some didn't but that's business.
2024, bumble did a campaign that poked at religious choices. Their campaign lines were "a vow of celibacy is not the answer" and "thou shalt not give up on dating and become a nun." It was not a successful one.
In 2018, KFC in the UK switched their words around on the bottom of their buckets to "fck" it was not taken well.
2020, Bristol dry Gin basically saying BLM was exploitative and deeply insensitive. It was taken down quickly.
2010s, Dettol basic said it's disinfectant was ideal for cleaning up a murder. It was probably aimed at crime scene cleaners but yeah.
2017, Pepsi was accused of trivializing social justice movements by having Kendall Jenner had a police officer a Pepsi during a traffic stop.
2017, this one was messed up. Dove showed a black woman turning white after using Dove body wash. I actually don't think that was controversial. That was plain racist.
And in 2019, Gillette with "the best men can be" tackled toxic masculinity. People felt it unfairly stereotyped men. It had a short spike in the younger demographics, which is where they were going for.
Now some successful controversial marketing.
Nike with Kaepernick and the "believe in something" they got $43 million in free media, 31% increase in sales, and a record high stock price.
Burger king: Whopper neutrality. 4.6 million YouTube views and overwhelming amount of positive reviews.
Benetton: unhate. It showed world leaders kissing. But got massive global attention and awards. Some photos had to be pulled.
And Dove with their real beauty campaign. They got long term loyal customers and had a cultural impact.
So see, even though the companies do things like AE, they do it to increase sales and media attention. And it's working is it not?