Provocative content

Provocative content – these are advertising materials that violate the public foundations. This includes illustrations with erotic overtones, elements of black humor, puns on the verge of decency and everything that breaks our habitual notions of “normal advertising”.

The reason for the appearance of such materials is understandable: today people are increasingly ignoring advertising. Today it has become too much and all of it, as a rule, is boring, banal and predictable. Provocative content leaves this stereotype, and therefore causes public interest and is remembered.

A successful “provocation” is capable of:

Increase brand awareness. If the material became “viral”, the company will be remembered seriously and for a long time.

Increase audience reach. About the company even those who are usually ignored by advertising are recognized.

Improve the opinion on the brand. Against the background of dull and serious competitors, the company will look like a community of living people who have a sense of humor.

And ultimately – to increase sales due to a sharp expansion of the audience.

Types of provocative content

Variants of provocative content are great – everything depends on the fantasy of marketers. Here are a few solutions:

Any advertising “on the brink” of what is allowed. It is placed on banners, signposts and billboards, on social networks and in other places where it is quickly noticed and made viral. In addition to the erotic subtext and puns, it can use derogatory hints on competitors (“trolling”).

Newsjacking – search for hot news, which can be adapted for provocative content. It is important here to be able to quickly determine how the reader’s interest in the topic will develop. And at the same time to understand: are jokes allowed in general in connection with this news?

Trends and memes. Track the emergence of new Internet memes and “attach” them to your company.

Viral sites. First of all, these are parody landings, which raise the mood of the readers. But often it is enough to fill the site with texts that will break all copywriting templates.

Non-standard SMM-marketing and support service. “Zombies in the telephone sets” are already pretty boring for everyone. Against this background, call centers where “live” people work will look like a breath of fresh air.

So, provocative content is a very effective promotion tool. It is able to instantly make the brand popular and increase the number of customers.

But the creators of such content must necessarily have a sense of proportion. In no case can we cross the line beyond which humor turns into outright vulgarity or violates moral norms.

It can completely kill the reputation of the company, frighten customers and permanently bring down sales. Therefore, any provocative materials must necessarily first be tested on a small audience and closely monitor its reaction.