Reflection 8 of 52: When does controversy work?
February 24, 2014
With the
Barbie doll turning 55, company owner, Mattel partnered up with Sports
Illustrated Magazine to put the much-debated icon on the pages of its swimsuit
edition.
They have
a promotional campaign that includes the hashtag #unapologetic and highlights the many careers of the plastic showpiece.
They have been getting lots of news attention and social media action. Obviously, this campaign brings out the groups and individuals
concerned about objectifying women and creates a forum for debate.
The
volume of media coverage is staggering. Undoubtedly, sales of Barbie and the
magazine will go up.
Planned
controversy is an age-old marketing strategy. Organizations sometimes go
overboard but if well planned it can be a huge boost to awareness and/or sales.
Even if some people get turned off, the company can still profit and capitalize
on the profile created. It works best when the company preplans all potential
downsides and knows how to ride out the storm. In the Barbie case, I heard a radio
show with someone who wrote a book about the doll, a former employee of Mattel
and a mommy blogger. Mattel was asked to participate but declined. Hmmm… I
fully expect they decided well in advance where and when they would join the discussion or not.
We can
all check back in a few months to see if sales increased. My guess is the
affirmative.
Full
disclosure – I have never bought a Barbie nor owned one. I have never done work
for Mattel or Sports Illustrated. What I have done, in my past life as a
consultant, is the planning for controversial campaigns. We even prepared to
say we would pull the campaign, knowing full well by the time we stopped the
marketing, the paid portion would have been over. That would leave the buzz
still swirling around generating lots of chatter.
I think
we can use controversy for better causes than selling dolls. My friends at Junxion Strategy in
India have launched a provocative safe sex video as part of an HIV/AIDS campaign for exactly this purpose. Check out the video here.
Think
about it. How are you impacted by controversial campaigns?
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