We need to critically assess this idea that’s taking hold - that brands use ‘outrage marketing’ in SA to get attention. Let me give you a little insight: these brands aren’t playing 5D chess here. What you’re seeing are the outcomes of pure ignorance and thoughtlessness.
I understand you want to give them the benefit of the doubt and assign some kind of strategic layer to these obvious tactless and silly mistakes. Apply Occam’s Razor instead. They really just aren’t thinking about you, the consumer, when they’re rolling out these ‘meh’ messages.
I’ve been in too many meetings where I’ve pointed out what I see as an ‘obvious’ mistake and no one else gets it. 9 times out of 10, you’ll be dismissed as being ‘too woke’ ‘PC’ or ‘sensitive’. Decision makers don’t look like you and me, so these mistakes will keep happening.
I know you want to think that people on those roles are ‘smarter than this’, so the mistakes have to be some kind of purposeful attempt to ‘go viral’. Sorry to break it to you, they generally aren’t 🤷🏽‍♀️
They aren’t offending you to get your tweets or to go viral. They’re offending you because they literally don’t know you, they don’t know better and they haven’t adjusted the lenses through which they view the world #OutrageMarketing
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