• 0

Marketoonist | Tom Fishburne

Marketoonist is the thought bubble of Tom Fishburne. Marketing cartoons, content marketing with a sense of humor, keynote speaking.

  • Campaigns
  • Speaking
  • About
  • Cartoons
  • Contact
  • Book
  • 0

controversy marketing

May 5, 2013

  • Paid licensing options include high resolution download.
  • Presentation $40 Add to Cart
  • Newsletter or Website $125 Add to Cart
  • Corporate Blog/Sponsored Post $60 Add to Cart
  • Looking for other licensing options? click here
  • View Cart
TweetLinkedInFacebookEmail

There’s a old marketing axiom that advertising’s greatest enemy isn’t rejection; it’s indifference. Mountain Dew and Hyundai both tested this philosophy in the last two weeks with ads they ultimately pulled for being too offensive.

In today’s social media world, where there’s no longer a captive audience, brands are pushing boundaries more than ever to get attention (and to try to go viral). The question for marketers is where to draw the line.

Mountain Dew’s ad was not only criticized for trivializing battered women, it was called the “most racist commercial in history”. Hyundai’s ad showed a man trying to commit suicide by taping a hose to his car exhaust, only to be thwarted by the clean emissions technology in the Hyundai iX35.

In the pursuit of going viral, where should marketers draw the line? Is there a long-term cost for getting it wrong and offending your audience?

In the post-game analysis, many commentators suggested that it didn’t matter that Mountain Dew and Hyundai offended its audience. They argued that the benefit of getting talked about by media and consumers outweighed the fact that so many were talking about the brands’ bad judgement.

I disagree. Not every brand should act like a shock jock. Not all publicity is good publicity. Not all viral is good viral.

It all comes down to brand purpose. Axe/Lynx will draw a different line than Dove, even though they’re part of the same company. I think marketing can be provocative while still holding true to the brand’s purpose.

No brand wants to be ignored. But I think marketers sometimes forget whey their brands exist, and who they’re trying to serve.

(Marketoonist Monday: I’m giving away a signed print of this week’s cartoon. Just share an insightful comment to this week’s post. I’ll pick one comment at 5:00 PST on Monday. Thanks!)

Filed Under: advertising, social media

  • Paid licensing options include high resolution download.
  • Presentation $40 Add to Cart
  • Newsletter or Website $125 Add to Cart
  • Corporate Blog/Sponsored Post $60 Add to Cart
  • Looking for other licensing options? click here
  • View Cart
Your Ad Ignored Here Book Image

15 years of Marketoonist compiled for your marketing pleasure.

Order Now

About Marketoonist

Marketoonist is the thought bubble of Tom Fishburne a career marketer and cartoonist. Learn More...

Browse Blog Posts

Most Popular Cartoons Browse Categories

Marketoon Campaigns

contentmarketing

Content marketing with a sense of humor.

Learn More

Keynote Speaking

speakingworkshops

Insightful, funny, and visual keynote talks and workshops.

Book Tom to Speak

Search Blog Posts

Interested? Let’s Talk!

Footer Form - Let's Talk

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Marketoons

Browse Categories
Spacing Things Out

About Marketoonist

Tom Fishburne is the Founder and CEO of Marketoonist, a content marketing studio that helps businesses reach their audiences with cartoons.

© 2025 Marketoonist