Reflection 46 of 52: Is shock communication effective?
November 17, 2014
It
seems to take so much to shock or cause a reaction in our North American
society today. We are bombarded by so much information it takes something
extreme to cut through the clutter. The latest Nicki Minaj video "Only" has been
causing quite a stir because of its use of Nazi style imagery. Her last video "Anaconda" also got a lot of reaction and traction by displaying a lot of
bouncing booty. If you have not seen either, check them out on YouTube.
Warning: You may find them offensive. This blog post is not about the content
but the residual impacts of sensitive issues.
Controversy
like this has always elevated discussions around hot topics. Think Madonna and
her burning crosses that made her song “Like a Prayer” become one of the best
selling singles of all time. Makes the Rolling Stones song, “(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction”, controversy about sexual frustration seem positively
Pollyanna.
Issues
either propel sales for a celebrity or send them off with their tail between
the legs. Nicki Minaj is a rapper so I expect this type of spotlight works in
her favour. Whether this translates into huge digital downloads is yet to be
seen. Her 18.3M Twitter followers are still posting lots of happy faces and
there has not been even a hint of a drop in FB likes. Jian Ghomeshi’s FB page
was losing them at 500 an hour at one point.
I
find it interesting to see what really catches our attention now or offends
some people’s sensibilities. Many rap songs and videos contain the language
heard in the "Only" video, it is the visuals that created the reaction.
And,
is that a good thing? Does it help to create a dialogue about world issues that
might get forgotten among a new generation? Or, are they even privy to the news
stories in the mainstream lamenting the trivialization of serious humanitarian
issues?
I
try to follow stories like this on all forms of media and then see how it
impacts sales. This issue is still fairly fresh, Ms. Minaj has apologized and
the news coverage is subsiding.
Do
you think you would have even heard about this video if it were not
controversial?
It
has only generated 76,000 digital downloads in its first week and is a prelim
to her upcoming album The Pinkprint. Keep an eye on this one to see if her
shock communication worked.
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