hey, marketer! 

you know when you see someone say or post something so offensive or outrageous you can’t help but give it your attention?

it’s said that if you want the answer to a question on reddit, don’t simply ask your question – ask your question, then use a second account to answer it COMPLETELY WRONG.

that’s how the world works (especially those parts driven by algorithms).

so, this week’s teardown is different.

instead of focusing on a brand, I’m digging into a campaign style: manufactured controversy, or “manufactroversy”

according to wikipedia, manufactroversy “is a contrived disagreement, typically motivated by profit or ideology, designed to create public confusion concerning an issue about which there is no substantial academic dispute.”

so basically creating a baseless argument to drive attention or outrage.

alright, this tactic can be very dangerous when in the wrong hands or used for malicious purposes – like large industries casting doubt on scientific research that denounces their products, or political factions producing fake news articles about candidates or policies.

but when used to sell books, movie tickets, app downloads, or club visits – it is gold.

the basic manufactroversy campaign needs three or four parties:

then, the company puts out its work…crickets.

just like the reddit question.

but, enter the anonymous source to seed outrage and the target audience can’t help but jump in.

this tactic is often used to gain press, driving tons of earned media typically at a fraction of the cost that paid media would require for the same attention.

however, it also establishes the brand as one willing to bend (read: break) the rules to get customers and attention (though you might end up having to issue an apology!)

there are myriad examples, but I chose some of my favorite.

first, if you’ve read the book trust me, I’m lying, you know that before ryan holiday was a stoicism guru, he was a master of manufactroversy. 

he was a lead marketer at american apparel (‘nuff said), but also helped catapult the author tucker max into the spotlight with his book and movie i hope they serve beer in hell.

tucker max, a self-proclaimed a-h*le, started with a book that was already ripe to ruffle feathers on the title alone. 

but, to make sure he caused a stir, he hired ryan holiday to help with the promotion.

ryan bought billboard space to promote the movie and then graffitied over the ad, playing the part of the “outraged” party. of course, it doesn’t stop there – he then anonymously emailed media outlets with images of the billboard, saying “people in this town are extremely upset about this.”

the journalists then can’t resist the juicy story – and a virtuous cycle begins.

the male revue’s founder, steve banerjee, started with a single club, but no one was coming through the doors.

he knew there was an audience for his club, but the idea was fresh and he didn’t have money for much advertising.

so he called some groups of conservative local women and anonymously told them about this club, calling it a “den of sin.”

they came out to protest…right as the news crew he *also called showed up to report on the controversy.

with a couple of phone calls, he got not a 30-second ad slot, but a full news story – for free.

in 2022, the luxury fashion brand released a product that looks literally like a trash bag – for $1,000.

catnip for journalists and high fashion enthusiasts, asking the question, “is this really what high fashion has devolved to?”

did this result in purchases of the trash bag? Well, probably not, but it’s earned media that gets potential customers onto balenciaga’s website and perhaps clicking around 🤔

popeye’s introduced a new product: a chicken sandwich.

sure, it made a splash, but then the fried chicken chain noticed something – people were taking to social media pitting their sandwich against that of chick-fil-a’s.

alright, time for war.

both brands stoked this organic fire dubbed the “chicken sandwich war” to decide who made the better product. 

lines were out the doors at both companies. 

I love this one because it not only starts out organic, but ends up as a pseudo collab between longstanding competitors.content strategy

manufactroversy doesn’t only belong to the bad boy brands – but occasionally brands go too far in stirring the pot and end up issuing apologies. 

the gained attention may be worth it, but those campaigns need to be considered with the brand identity.

thanks for reading this far and I’d love to hear if you have a favorite (or most hated) manufactroversy campaign – just reply directly to this email 😀

✌️,

tom from marketer gems