If you want to go viral, go controversial

Published April 18, 2014 at 9:13 am

Creating a post or video that has the potential to become popular on social media is considered a major achievement for many marketers, especially when it garners millions of views. Going viral is a goal that many strive for, but few achieve. So what separates content that achieves this status from content that does not?

One way to increase the chances of going viral is to produce content that has potential to be seen as controversial to some.This is what Honey Maid had in mind when they turned the concept of “wholesome” into an ad depicting non-traditional families. According to the New Yorker, Honey Maid was aware that the ad would be controversial, so they prepared a follow-up ad to feature on social media in the wake of any backlash.

This was a smart move. The follow-up ad featured negative comments being printed out and rolled up to form a sculpture of the word “Love,” and a statement from the company informing viewers that there were actually far more positive comments in response to the ad than negative. As Inc. points out, people may be accustomed to familiar concepts, but are naturally inclined to pay attention to novel concepts. By taking the idea of what is “wholesome” and applying it to family structures considered by many to be non-traditional, Honey Maid was able to incite a feeling of novelty that grabbed a lot of attention. By anticipating a potential backlash and preparing for it, the company was able to capitalize on this opportunity for additional advertising and reinforcement of their positive message.

Although is is desirable to come up with novel marketing ideas, this does not mean that you have to be political or controversial. Striving to present familiar concepts in new ways can help marketers come up with ideas that are out of the ordinary and more likely to go viral.