Controversy is king

I’m sure you’ve all heard the popular saying “Content is king.” Well I honestly believe Controversy is king. They say in business there is no such thing as bad press. Is that true? Maybe. Let’s look at a couple different examples.

Let’s say that Amazon.com plans on having a “Saddam is Dead” sale when he is finally hung. Obviously EVERYBODY would be talking about this sale. Amazon.com would be mentioned on every news cast and every publication in the world during this sale. Would it work? Would they increase their sales? Would they bring in new customers who support their statement? How many current customers would this scare off? There really is no way to tell without actually trying it. Obviously Amazon.com would never run a sale like this…but it’s an interesting thought isn’t it?

Here’s another example. Last November the Indianapolis Colts were getting ready to play the Dallas Cowboys. Well Steak’n Shake accidently sent the wrong flyers to the Indianapolis area and many Colts fans received a flyer stating how Steak’n Shake supported the Cowboys. This was big news in Indianapolis as we were about to play the Cowboys on Sunday. They quickly apologized and explained their mistake. Because of this little slip up (if it was a slip up) they got all of Indiana talking about Steak’n Shake and their mess up. They offered free shakes on Sunday to anyone wearing Colts apparel. Well I drove by Steak’n Shake and they were PACKED!

There is a thin line between good controversy and bad controversy. One thing is clear however; Controversy is king!