Storm of Controversy

Controversy is like salt – a little bit adds flavor, but too much leaves a salty taste in your mouth.

This happened to me with my last LinkedIn post. It was about nepotism and I thought the best cover image to viscerally capture this was POTUS standing next to his son-in-law.

It definitely sparked a reaction. These are some of the comments it received.

• This is facebook crap
• This has no place in LinkeIn
• Remove this article. It is not professional and is an opinion piece better left for the back page of some political newspaper/ad. It certainly has no place on LinkedIn.
• This taste less article dosen't belong on LinkedIn !! Post your opinion in FB or Twitter
• You are just asking for this one. No one needs this on Linkedin. Sooooo Mr. Wiseman or should i say Wise Ass for bringing this to a Professional Forum
• David Wiseman has no business (literally) posting this on LinkedIn - he obviously is desperate to get more subscribers and figures by jumping on the liberal bandwagon, he can do so. This article does not belong in this forum.

It got me thinking – about what is in fact appropriate content for LinkedIn; but more so, the role controversy plays in our lives and can play when it comes to marketing.  

For some, it signals the sound of ker-ching, whereas for others it’s a death knell.

Skilled business consultant Nathan Fielder knows how to harness controversy which he did most notably with Dumb Starbucks. This was a stunt for TV - would anyone actually go to these limits?

How controversy impacts you depends. Depends on who is involved and the nature of the controversy. Are you a fledging brand who can’t sustain the collateral damage or are you an established name that can take the hits and obfuscate with spin?

What is edgy for some is completely inappropriate for others.

A leaked sex tape can make your career as happened with Kim Kardashian, but leaked images such as those belonging to Anthony Weiner can end it.

As society evolves and standards change, so too does the definition of what’s controversial.

Would the comedy of Lenny Bruce or the plot of Peyton Place be considered taboo?

Books such as Lady Chatterley’s Lover, Ulysses and Catcher in the Rye were the subject of court cases and censorship. They were branded obscene, often by people who had never read them. For anyone who did could only wonder what all the fuss was about. Nowhere is this showcased better than The Satanic Verses.  

Before the fatwa, it was a book barely anyone had heard about and was barely selling any copies. Following all the controversy, it became a best-seller.  

When it comes to music, the likes of Eminem, The Doors, and the Sex Pistols thrived off the controversy they generated, but they were all extremely talented musicians whose music really connected with their fans. If they didn’t have the chops, no amount of controversy would have helped them.   

Which gets us to the use of controversy in marketing campaigns.

Why would anyone deliberately court or manufacture it? The answers are the same why there are so many fights at boxing weigh-ins and press conferences.

1. It allows you to stand above the white news
2. All the free coverage
3. It makes you memorable

But be warned – if it takes a life of its own – it’s very easy to lose control of the story and then anything can happen.

With many controversies, a lot is said and written about it at the time, but does any on it really matter?

Does anyone today not buy Pepsi, Dove or Gillette solely because of the Kendall Jenner, Real Beauty and Best Men Can Be brouhahas?

Firstly, who has time for that?

But secondly, there are just too many controversies to keep tabs of them all!