Some say that rejection is not marketing’s greatest nemesis; indifference is. It seems that more and more people are starting to grasp this concept. Let’s recall Miley Cyrus’s and Robin Thicke’s joint performance in the MTV Video Music Awards (VMA).

The previous child star known as Hannah Montana’s performance was criticised as “embarrassing”, “raunchy” and “really, really disturbing”. If she had wanted to shock the media, she definitely succeeded. Although people all over the world condemned her in one way or the other, it surely got her noticed, and any attention is good attention! All over the web, people are either supporting her or against her. The nonstop argument effectively increases her popularity. In fact, when she hosted the Saturday Night Live (SNL) on October 5th, 2013, she actually got a high rating in par with Tina Fey’s!

Nowadays, nothing seems more powerful than the word of mouth. To survive in this global, social world, we have to utilise it well. In the words of the Queen of Social Media, Lady GaGa, “people will always talk, so let’s give them something to talk about”.  It does not matter how good you are or how good your product is. If people do not know you, then you cannot market yourself to them. Creating a controversy is the easiest way to make people talk.

Controversy marketing is used by a lot of successful celebrities and brands as well. Lady GaGa, for example, wears unusual outfits and does unconventional things.

Lady GaGa drenched in fake blood, wearing a meat dress and impersonating a guy

Lady GaGa supporting LGBT

Remember Britney Spears? She was the Queen of Pop and the talk of the town just a few years ago. Her sexy music videos and performances are hardly forgettable.

Britney Spears’s “Toxic” Music Video, 2003

But what happened to her? When did she start slipping off the radar? She is still the same sexy Britney, yet Lady GaGa, Miley Cyrus and other female artists seem to have “outfamed” her.

Britney Spears’s “Work Bitch” Music Video, 2013

She still uses “sex” marketing, but it does not seem to have the same effect as 10 years ago. Why? Ten years ago, “sex” marketing was a new thing and thus, Britney Spears showing up on VMA stage wearing a nude, glittery outfit creates a controversy and got people talking. However, nowadays, “sex” marketing is so common that it hardly makes a ripple on the society. To be noticeable, celebrities need to constantly create controversies that will shock the media in a way that has never been done before. For example, Miley Cyrus breaking out of her “good girl” shell and riding nude on a wrecking ball or Lady GaGa promoting LGBT. “Sex” marketing simply does not cut it anymore. Controversy marketing is the way to gain recognition.

Sex sells, but controversy sells better!