The Value of Shock Value
Last week I included a link to an Entrepreneur article I wrote about the rise of the stunt. Basically, we've seen marketers attempting to gather attention and headlines by shocking or interrupting people into paying attention. It can be a worthy tactic if it's done right.
It got me thinking about the value of this shock value though. Does it work? Certainly it can, but I always have to ask myself if it's appropriate. No brand should shock just to shock. The value from a marketing perspective only happens when it makes sense coming from that brand and when it makes sense to the consumer who is experiencing it. The messaging has to align appropriately or a brand is simply getting the shock without the value ... and wasting money and time as a result.
This all popped into my mind when my friend Sandi sent me this video of a lingerie brand. It certainly has shock, but does it have value?
Give it a look, and let me know what you think.
What's your experience? Jim.
Jim Joseph
- President, Cohn & Wolfe NA
- Author, The Experience Effect series
- Professor, NYU
- Contributor, Entrepreneur and Huffington Post
It got me thinking about the value of this shock value though. Does it work? Certainly it can, but I always have to ask myself if it's appropriate. No brand should shock just to shock. The value from a marketing perspective only happens when it makes sense coming from that brand and when it makes sense to the consumer who is experiencing it. The messaging has to align appropriately or a brand is simply getting the shock without the value ... and wasting money and time as a result.
This all popped into my mind when my friend Sandi sent me this video of a lingerie brand. It certainly has shock, but does it have value?
Give it a look, and let me know what you think.
What's your experience? Jim.
Jim Joseph
- President, Cohn & Wolfe NA
- Author, The Experience Effect series
- Professor, NYU
- Contributor, Entrepreneur and Huffington Post