It feels like we can’t go a single day without some kind of controversy taking over the scene across many fields, not just one. These “talk of the town” moments go viral fast, becoming part of everyone’s conversation and bringing a wave of publicity, even if it’s not the kind you’d hope for.
This brings us back to an old phrase often tossed around in marketing circles: “Bad Publicity Is Good Publicity.” That’s just not true and here’s why.
Whether you’re an artist, a platform, a brand, or any kind of public-facing entity, your real success lies in the impression you leave. If you can resonate with your audience and earn a moment of their attention, you’ve achieved something meaningful, and that’s something many fail to do.
But when you take a different route and deliberately spark controversy, hoping the buzz alone will carry you to success, you’re not actually building a brand, you’re chasing noise. Sure, people might talk about you, but that doesn’t mean they’ll support you, remember you for the right reasons, or stay loyal to you by any means.
Choosing the right people for you also means choosing the right way to communicate with them. Chasing what goes viral just to be part of the conversation might give you a quick win, but more often than not, it backfires in the long run, and there is a long list of case studies to prove it, right?
In the end, ask yourself: What’s the point of being talked about if no one truly connects with what you stand for?
