Misleading marketing stunts: Is all publicity good publicity?

Any publicity is good publicity, or so claimed 19th century circus owner PT Barnum. But in the age of social media, where customers have the platform to speak their minds and hold brands accountable for anything unethical, does this notion hold true today? 

Many companies, celebrities, and online personalities have found over the years that publicity stunts, if executed poorly, could lead to public backlash. 

Others, however, still want to test Barnum's theory.

If you scrolled through social media in the past month, you might have noticed a "leaked" phone call between former national cricket team captain Tamim Iqbal and all-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz causing quite a stir. 

In the audio clip, you can hear Tamim complaining about his friend and teammate Mushfiqur Rahim. The opener goes on to lament how he is no longer respected, as he does not play for the national team anymore, while Miraz tries to calm him down. 

Initially assumed to be private — though there was a good amount of scepticism — the leaked conversation quickly became the talk of the town on Facebook, and to a lesser degree, on other social media platforms. 

Following the incident, Tamim Iqbal came on Facebook Live with Mehidy Hasan Miraz, invited Mushfiqur Rahim, and designated Mahmudullah Riyad as a moderator of sorts. 

The sceptics were right, of course, as it later turned out to be a part of Nagad's marketing campaign. This marketing stunt aimed to promote their annual event, which was offering lavish prizes such as cashback discounts, coupons, and many more, worth a total of Tk20 crore.

Tamim Iqbal and Nagad CEO Tanvir A Mishuk disclosed that the grand prize of 'a plot' would be offered to 24 people this year. 

Naturally, this use of a "private conversation" for commercial gains has whipped up a storm on social media about the ethical implications of negative marketing. The intentional deception on both Nagad and the cricketers' parts is also something worthy of attention.

From the customer's perspective, the overall presentation of the campaign seemed misleading and confusing, as evident from several comments on social media. 

Syed Ahsanul Alam, professor of marketing at the University of Chittagong, said the campaign, while successful in its attempt to capture attention, seems to have crossed ethical boundaries. 

"By staging a leaked phone call involving national cricket icons, the campaign blurred the lines between private and public, real and staged, which could be seen as a breach of ethical marketing practices," he added. 

Alam, also a former vice-chairman of Islami Bank Bangladesh and chairman of the National Bureau of Economic Research, further said that the campaign had risked long-term credibility in exchange for short-term gains. 

"This [the campaign] underscores a need for clear ethical guidelines in marketing strategies, especially when they involve public figures and sensitive content that could be misconstrued by the audience, damaging trust in other campaigns of the brand in the future," he added.

Nafis Farhan, operations manager at Magnito Digital, said, "Bangladeshi people have so much emotion for their cricketers, and this campaign used them in such a way that was not appropriate at all. However, it was also the duty of the players who had responsibility towards the people."

Grabbing headlines through negative marketing 

With a lively social media culture and a booming economy, Bangladesh has become a theatre for out-of-the-box marketing strategies, which often include guerrilla marketing tactics. 

But using unorthodox ways to generate sales, mostly through the widespread use of more personal interactions or viral social media messaging, has both good and harmful social consequences. 

Negative marketing, in this case, might sometimes grab headlines, but it often leaves a sour taste in consumers' mouths. 

According to Nafis Farhan, negative marketing can be a double-edged sword for brands. 

"While it has the potential to differentiate products, attract attention, and inform consumers, it also carries risks of backlash, damage to brand image, and legal issues. Careful planning and execution are essential to leverage the benefits of negative marketing while avoiding pitfalls," he explained.

The recent campaign has created a lot of buzz on social media but most of them were negative, Farhan added. 

"Negative marketing can indeed capture attention and spark conversation, but not always in the ways brands might hope," said Professor Alam. In the end, it will potentially deteriorate the long-term engagement and loyalty between the consumers and the brand, he added.

However, negative marketing has become the go-to strategy these days, and more often than not, it is like watching a trainwreck in slow motion. 

Since 2021, well-known fast food joints have been putting up ads on social media that jokingly compare food to human bodily organs - which could be construed by some as tasteless, sexist and sensitive. How is it okay to use sexual innuendo - as the popular eatery Pizzaburg did - to sell a slice of pizza?

In another advertisement of Meridian Refresh, a young man's father is on his deathbed, in dire need of blood. In a serious situation like this, suddenly they whip out glasses of orange drinks, and everyone around starts dancing like they are at a party!

The brand clearly knew this would blow up in meme culture, yet they used it as a marketing tool.  People on social media were seen  jokingly making comments urging prayers for the father, since 'he had already passed away, while everyone was too busy partying with the drink.'

The less said about how disrespectful the ad was towards a serious issue like blood donation, the better.

Even the world-famous fast-food chain, McDonald's UK, in 2017, apparently made a fantastically offensive commercial to promote their new burger flavour, with a cynically exploitative child bereavement advertisement, in the name of 'emotional connection'.  

The advertisement, which showcased memories the boy shared with his deceased father, was very poorly received on social media platforms, garnering a huge backlash. 

Munshi Forsythia Amin. Sketch: TBS

The company however acted quickly to take down the ad, but the damage was already done. The ad raised questions about the brand's ethical standards and brand image as a whole.

Today, a single mistake can damage a brand's reputation for years to come, and it's about time Bangladeshi brands start getting serious about their image.

Negative marketing might offer immediate spikes in visibility and engagement, but it will potentially erode trust and goodwill among consumers. Marketing strategies like this not only make it a questionable strategy, but also risk damaging the brand's reputation.