Could Creating Controversy Around Your Brand be Beneficial?

Photo: ChatGPT (2025)

Unless you’ve been totally off the grid for the last few weeks or so, you probably heard about the recent controversy surrounding an American Eagle ad starring a certain young actress most known for her role on a hit HBO series.

Albeit socially, the controversy made headlines across mainstream media in the US for reasons far beyond the denim jeans the brand intended to push; the incident would also go on to spark a debate amongst marketers: Was creating this controversy worth the potential backlash the brand faces moving forward? 

While the jury is still out on how the controversy could potentially impact American Eagle’s bottom line in the future, what cannot be denied is that following the stir, the company’s stock soared by 16%; while the retailer’s foot traffic decreased by nearly 9%.

As is the case with every brand, the ultimate judge and jury that will decide American Eagle’s fate will be the consumer. But make no mistake, when it comes to controversy around your brand, it could either be extremely beneficial—or devastatingly detrimental. 

What do you have to lose?

Long before the term marketing ever existed, brands have used clever gimmicks to draw attention towards both themselves and their offerings. And as the practice of marketing became more popular, those gimmicks were given an appropriate phrase, ‘Publicity Stunts.’

Publicity stunts are unconventional acts designed by brands for the sole purpose of generating attention towards a business, product, purpose, or cause. 

When considering whether or not creating a controversy aka a publicity stunt, might be a good move for your brand to make, begin by asking yourself two questions: Ideally, what is there to be gained from the publicity stunt? And what could potentially be lost if it isn’t received well? 

Sure, who wouldn’t love a huge spotlight shining bright on their brand for relatively free? That’s certainly a pro.

However, if the public perceives the publicity stunt unfavorably in ways that you did not intend, the con is that the stunt could have an everlasting negative effect on your brand. 

How to determine if creating a controversy is worth it

How would my brand muse react to this? That is the next question you must be able to accurately answer before going about creating a controversy around your brand. If you’re unfamiliar with the term, a brand muse is the personification of a brand’s target audience; a character for which everything a brand does must be aligned with its interests and approval. 

Understanding your audience well enough to know how they’d react to a particular controversy is paramount in knowing whether or not creating one around your brand would be beneficial both in the present—as well as in the future.

Contrary to the belief of many marketing professionals, all publicity isn’t good publicity. Especially if your target audience is either offended or embarrassed by it. 

There are countless examples of brands that were totally destroyed by bad publicity.

Nonetheless, if you understand your brand muse well enough to know its likes and dislikes; if the publicity stunt is on brand and aligns with something your muse would find exciting and wouldn’t be embarrassed or offended by—creating a controversy around your brand could absolutely be beneficial by increasing brand awareness.

Key takeaways

Successfully creating controversy around your brand is all about directing the narrative. Notice I said direct, and not control. That’s because unlike what you say in your brand’s ads or other marketing communications, when a controversy catches fire, the way the public perceives will be totally outside of your control.

Lastly, keep in mind that it is okay if some people get offended by a controversy involving your brand. You can't please them all.

As long as your target customers overwhelmingly embrace the controversy —the move could be a total success!  

If you’re thinking about creating a controversy around your brand and would like to know whether or not it’ll likely resonate with your brand muse, contact us today and let’s discuss it!