Shock jocks have been around for a while — disc jockeys or radio personalities that will say outrageous and offensive things to keep people tantalized and tuned in. We see the same type of antics with the upcoming election. Rush Limbaugh said some things on air that had people outraged and advertisers pulling commercials and sponsorships.
Sometimes these things are said to spread beyond the audience at hand by making headlines. It follows the thinking that all attention (even very bad attention) is good and that there is no such thing as bad publicity as long as they get the name right. And maybe they’re right. Limbaugh had a good share of the media cycle and held the spotlight for the better part of a week. Most advertising analysts predict that his advertisers will slink away until the attention dies down and then quietly return.
We are seeing the same type of behavior with certain companies and brands. The brass ring in this case is going viral and some companies will say almost anything to get there.
Take Belvedere vodka. The company recently ran an ad showing a women looking distressed as she is trying to get away from a man. The man appears to be pulling her towards him. The copy under the graphic reads “Unlike some people: Belvedere always goes down smoothly.” It was obviously a blatant reference to a woman being force to perform oral sex and it was extremely offensive as is always the case when making light of rape. It didn’t take long for people to express outrage and exclaim that they were disgusted and that Belvedere would never, ever pass their lips in this lifetime.
Belvedere's fail ad campaign
Of course, as these things go, Belvedere pulled the ad – but not until it had already reached the pinnacle of marketing nirvana – it went viral. We all know that once an ad has gone viral it is impossible to “pull.” It will live on in the webosphere for eternity and not only will it live on, it will take on a life of its own.
Of course, the vodka maker has said mea culpa and also given a “generous donation” to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network. The cynic in me has to believe that Belvedere’s marketing team is not comprised of a bunch of dumb bunnies (I may be giving them too much credit here). So, I can only surmise that this was all part of the plan. Even the resulting lawsuit by the actress in the photo feels staged. She is claiming that Belvedere used her image without permission and that the ad publicly humiliates her and gives the false impression that she approves of it.
I have seen a number of viral ad campaigns that have been edgy, funny and effective. This wasn’t one of them. Still, breaking through the advertising clutter that comes at us from all sides isn’t easy and I believe we haven’t seen the last of shock marketing or shockvertising. Here is one of my favorite viral ads. Please feel free to share one of yours.
