Brand Buzz: Controversy

The old mantra goes, “If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” Whoever said that never built a brand in their life. As a matter of fact, we don’t even know who said it!

We do know who said “Et tu, Brute?” however. And we all remember “Vinni, vetti, vicci." Both statements were born out of controversy.

One of the most powerful channels through which to build a brand is through buzz marketing. The term “buzz” has, itself, become a buzzword. Buzz is synonymous for hype. Those who build buzz could be considered hype-makers.

There are limitless ways to generate buzz. Despite that, there have been navigable paths that have been followed time and time again. And one of the most powerful is through controversy.

Ask people about Bill Clinton, and their first thought is not his famous Third Way philosophy, his post-presidency war against AIDS/HIV and global warming, or the seemingly impossible passing of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993. Bill Clinton’s brand will forever be associated, first and foremost, with Monica Lewinsky. A built brand is nearly impossible to reconfigure in the mind.

Controversy sparks us. We read People Magazine, gobbling up gossip of secret romantic entanglements and feuding celebs. We watch Borat, anticipating his next off-the-wall ethnic slur or sexual reference. We listen to Eminem, knowing full well that parents think he’s the antichrist. Our attention was captured by Enron’s book-cooking, and by Barry Bonds’ steroid usage.

Hence, when Monica Lewinsky was sprayed across the headlines daily, Americans told public researchers that they were sick of her. 48 million people tuned in to watch as Barbara Walters interviewed her.

American Idol is one of the hottest shows on television. And American Idol is really one man: Simon Cowell. Forget Randy Johnson and his fake “I’m a thug”-isms. Forget Paula Abdul and her over-nicities. America tunes in to see Simon say something destroying.

Off camera, Simon is described as pleasant and thoughtful, commonly saying “please” and “thank you.” On camera, he plays a dream-shattering villain. He knows that controversy generates buzz, and buzz generates ratings. The gasps and boos he receives are the best buzz currency that Fremantle Media, owners of American Idol, could hope for.

In the oversaturated market of reality TV, American Idol stands alone at the top. Most reality shows that fail, do so because they fail to generate buzz.

It seems that American Idol wrote the book on controversial buzz. Just today, February 13, 2007, Idol leaked information that they are in talks with Michael Jackson, America’s most hated pop-star, to do a collaboration show.

Again, research and common sense seem to suggest that this is a marketing disaster. But Monica Lewinsky’s interview still serves as a reminder. What’s more, Idol is being very straightforward about their intent: to generate ratings. Controversy + honesty = incredible buzz.

Mark Hughes wrote, in his incredible book Buzz Marketing, of a young John McEnroe. McEnroe was ranked highly, but he remained a relative unknown. Then, at Wimbledon, he whipped his racket across the court. Wimbledon, being known the as purest vestige of tennis etiquette, was not prone to such displays. The crowd booed, shocked.

What McEnroe realized, however, was that he now owned the crowd’s attention. He threw another tantrum. Again, the crowd reacted, eyes peeled on McEnroe, waiting to see what he would do next.

Upon his return to the States, McEnroe stepped off of the plane to a frenzy of press members. The British press had branded him as the “Bad Boy of Tennis.” This image ignited McEnroe to the memorable status he has today.

Pete Sampras’ career was in full swing (pardon the analogy) at that time, as well. Pete was soft spoken and kind, a true ambassador of the sport. But it was McEnroe that generated buzz for tennis, a kind of buzz that Sampras could only dream about creating.

And, even in their post-career years, Sampras has gone under the radar, while McEnroe commentates the four majors for ESPN and CBS. McEnroe’s move was a calculated one. Sampras is a brand. McEnroe is a brand. While Sampras was a more successful tennis player, McEnroe is a more successful brand.

One final note about controversy. It is ill-advised to spark controversy for the sake of controversy. Be smart about any decisions to invoke this attention-grabbing method. Be certain that the branded image you wish to portray is in line with controversy you spark.

ClearPlay fought for censorship rights against the Hollywood elite, eliciting support from the likes of Intel and Wal-Mart along the way. Pepsi challenged Coke drinkers to try their product in blind taste tests, infamously being dubbed “The Pepsi Challenge.” And Anheuser-Busch assigned two different advertising agencies to their account, creating a friendly (or not-so-friendly) spirit of competition amongst rival agencies.

Do something different. It may make you feel uneasy. It should make you feel uneasy. Uneasy is good.

Let the media frenzy begin.