Is Negative Publicity Truly Harmful?
January 15th, 2008 by Robert GustafsonPosted in Advertising, Content, Design, Marketing, Media, Online, Producing, Strategy, Writing | No Comments »
…or is the phrase “all publicity is good publicity” really true?
Partida Tequila just launched Tequila Confessions, a website featuring personal Tequila stories told in a “man-on-the-street” fashion. The only problem is that the stories that are being “confessed” don’t always paint Tequila in a positive light.
The interviews themselves are funny, but do not highlight the “class” that the Partida website shows. Just read one of their descriptions:
ANEJO
Partida Anejo, aged in American oak one-pass Jack Daniels barrels, reveals an intense flavor that can only come from advanced aging.
With its rich golden color – a mix of ochre and copper tones – the Partida Anejo is packed with zest. Its fruity aroma comes from a light blend of cherry, almond, dried fruit and spices. As for its captivating taste…soft honey fruited tones blended with flavors of banana, chocolate and sweet pear. The result: A spectacular finish. To taste this Tequila’s true flavor, it’s got to be savored.
Now compare to this clip of a “Tequila Confession” where the girl admits, “I fell off a truck and skinned my face up.” She follows that by confessing that she doesn’t drink it anymore (but loves Jaeger bombs), and then tries a shot of Partida and needs to wash it down with some of her boyfriend’s ice cream.
I “LOL”-ed a few times, but it’s not exactly the kind of publicity that most brands want right? But wait…
This reminds me of the Chevy Tahoe user-generated advertising campaign of 2006. Users were encouraged to edit together their own commercials with existing Tahoe footage. The most notable commercials were the ones that spoke of how Tahoe was endangering the earth by needing massive amounts of gasoline.
The bottom line: the campaign received a bunch of publicity (albeit negative) but still Tahoe sales rose.
As a comedy content creator, I want brands to get behind my project without seeing risk. And I’m hoping that a publicity stunt like Partida’s will pay off so we can point to it and say, “we’re not a risk, now write us a check!”
