Piaras Kelly PR - Public Relations in Ireland

Won’t somebody think about the children - Rev Lovejoy’s wife (The Simpsons)

It’s a simple fact of life that controversy sells. Sometimes companies go out to intentionally shock people in order to get them to talk about their brand, but in most cases it’s much ado about nothing as over concerned citizens find something to complain about.

The latest example of this is the so-called controversy about 50 Cent’s debut movie Get Rich or Die Tryin’. The BBC reports that some billboards promoting the film have been taken down due to pressure for protestors. Community groups claim that it promotes gun violence, but if that’s the case then surely almost every movie billboard should be removed for similar indiscressions. To be honest the only controversy about this movie is why Jim Sheridan actually agreed to direct it (he must have a large stash of cash sitting in his bank account now)

If being controversial is part of your overall strategy then it’s vital that you think things through and see whether the controversy is helping your brand or if it will take on a life of its own. A great example of this is Hardee’s Spicy BBQ burger ad featuring Paris Hilton. Lots of people talked about the ad, but ended up talking about the celebrity and not the burger. There was a great buzz about it, but the sales figures didn’t correspond to all the talk about it. Accolo Recruitment’s parody of the ad (also available to watch on the previous link is far more effective)

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