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HotSpot

Edgy marketing

From spoof campaigns to shock tactics and political incorrectness, being edgy will get you noticed – but is always a risk. Is it worth it? You decide..

 

Did you know?

Offensiveness is not an offence

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) defended a bit of “edginess” on behalf of Asda when it rejected a complaint from an affronted British-Uruguayan, who protested against an Asda advert on the grounds that it was offensive to his countrymen. Issued within hours of England’s defeat against Germany in the 2010 football world cup, Asda optician’s online promotion stated: “Our special World Cup offer – free eye tests for all Uruguayans. Like everyone in England, we couldn’t believe our eyes when the Uruguayan referee and linesman failed to recognise Frank Lampard’s equalising goal against Germany.” Asda’s risk-taking paid off – as well as 15 people taking up the offer, the ASA cleared the retailer of any wrongdoing, saying: “We considered that most readers would interpret it as football banter rather than malice towards Uruguayans.” Nevertheless Asda apologised, saying that future similar campaigns would be extended to all Fifa-registered referees and their assistants.

Some proof to your spoof?

Some proof to your spoof?

It was not so much the spoof campaign as its credulous reception that hit the headlines after Fox’s £3m campaign to promote its new Rocky bar. The hoax highlighted the “dangers” of eating biscuits. A “workplace biscuit risk assessment test” was created by the spoof British Biscuit Advisory Board and issued to 5,849 UK council workers. The skit was so convincing that 437 wary council staff actually completed the online survey. But who has the last laugh? Press after the campaign showed it had some crumbs of truth. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RSPA) revealed that 400 people a year in Britain are treated in A&E for biscuit-related accidents, including falling over while reaching for a biscuit and slipping on a chocolate biscuit on the stairs. But the RSPA admitted: “You have very little to fear from biscuits as a general rule.”

Fact of the month

Tradition beats edginess, according to the latest Cool Brands Index, a ranking chosen by a combination of 2,000 consumers and a panel of experts, which sees the time-honoured Aston Martin as a "cooler" brand than the trendy iPhone.

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Read the latest marketing trends

 

Do

Pitch your message correctly – witty can soon become bad taste if it is not executed in the right way.

 

Keep your target market in mind – edginess is far more likely to captivate a youthful target market.

 

Test any risky campaign on a wide cross section
of your target market.

Don't

Be controversial for the sake of it – this only works if there is a genuine business case for doing so that fits with the culture of your company.

 

Mess with the litigious – an unconventional press advert for a law firm that listed the names of in‑house lawyers without asking permission, backfired dramatically. Some sectors don’t welcome edgy marketing.

 

Push it too far – be edgy, be amusing, but don’t be illegal. If you aren’t sure of the boundaries yourself, seek professional advice beforehand.

Luciano Benetton
10 clues
risky tactics
1

Breath mint brand Smint is showing its risqué side in Spain by rewarding loyal customers with gifts including sex toys, fluffy handcuffs and nipple tassels.

2

A spoof website offering users a free, year-round tan via rays from their computer screens attracted more than a million hits, but turned out to be a campaign by a skin cancer charity.

3

Kotex was too frank for the US when it mentioned the word “vagina” in an ad for sanitary products – the advert was banned by the major US TV networks. 

4

University of British Columbia findings suggest that shock appeal can be deemed “cool” and relevant to a youth audience, which is prone to like and accept potentially offensive material. 

5

French Connection was condemned to being pre-vetted by the ASA when a poster for its “FCUK” campaign combining fcuk, kinky and another swear word “brought advertising into disrepute”.

6

Companies that have been put into the ASA’s “sin bin” because of a legacy of intentionally provocative adverts include Yves Saint Laurent and the bra brand Gossard. 

7

Founder of subversive, adult website B3ta.com, Rob Manuel, was hired to speak at ad agency Wieden & Kennedy and has since produced adverts for the BBC, Channel 4 and Random House. 

8

Actor Joaquin Phoenix apologised to David Letterman after he convinced the TV chat show host he was having a nervous breakdown during an interview. It turned out to be a hoax to publicise his spoof documentary I’m Still Here. 

9

The Conservative Party’s Tony Blair with “demon eyes” ad generated £5m of publicity on a £125,000 spend, although the ASA told the party to drop the adverts, saying it “should have known better”. 

10

Internet bank First Direct embraced a risky move when it launched a dedicated website that collates live comments about the brand from internet users in a bid to overcome perceptions that banks lack transparency.