Introduction
Have you ever put up or had someone put up a fake website, article, or negative review on someone else’s business just to draw attention to your website? This is called a negative marketing strategy, It can seem like a free way to market and can be used for marketing. Using it the right way can bring you significant additional profit. But using it the wrong way – can turn out to be a costly mistake.
What is Negative Marketing?
Negative marketing is a tactic that traditionally taps into negative emotions such as fear, irritation, anger, or sadness. In order to evoke a response from the consumer, often in favour of what a brand offers or against what a brand opposes. Sometimes brands may cross out a logo, or point out a flaw in a competitor's widely known tagline. Purely negative campaigns are those that list all the unattractive things about Brand X without listing any reasons why Brand Y is better.
How to come up with a ‘Negative’ Campaign?
Identify those who you don't want to cater - While you likely focus on attracting the right type of customers, it is equally important to know which customers you do not want.
Be Controversial - You’ll need to be prepared to handle the inevitable conversation and emotions. It is acceptable to remain neutral. Negative marketing methods, when used appropriately, may generate conversation and traffic for your business.
Create a shared Negative Experience - Sharing a negative experience that your audience can relate to can build rapport and engagement. Be careful to transition back to a positive solution and avoid crossing the line.
Targeting a Competitor - This can be done either by detailing the competitor's flaws and harms and then suggesting your product as an alternative. Your goal is to make buyers feel they will be harmed if they go with the other company.
Use of Negative Titles - Most of the time, people think that even if they are using this technique in their company, they should never use negative titles, so people will never hate them. But they do not know that this is not the right approach. It is better to take the risk and use negative titles occasionally.
Where Negative Marketing Works
Although social issue campaigns like Nike occasionally draw criticism, their true goal is to bring about constructive change. However, political campaigns are most effective when the flaws in the candidates are exposed and analysed. Apple was able to solidify its position among customers and establish connections with potential new customers eager to go past the constraints of the personal computer. It was made simpler to adopt the Macintosh because it laid out all the drawbacks of the PC operating system. Volkswagen selected Doyle Dane Bernbach or DDB, a new firm eager to stray from the conventional advertising methods norms. For many years, their choice to employ a contentious strategy was successful with the public. Customers were encouraged to move beyond their comfort zones, which sparked conversation and interest in the product.
Negative marketing initiatives demand that businesses have the guts to deviate from the usual. Not every brand, medium, or form of advertising will be compatible with them. Negative marketing initiatives, on the other hand, can and have had beneficial benefits when done well.
Advantages
Businesses that adopt this marketing method typically see greater revenues, customer loyalty, and a rise in the overall consumer base.
Free limelight viz., media coverage at no cost and this publicity is natural.
Disadvantages
It is not the most ethical business practice, and it is not the ideal way for a corporation to sell its products or services. It's the same as someone talking about you or spreading damaging rumours about your name and reputation.
Consumers will take a long time to forget what has been said about the competition and their products, making it difficult for them to purchase or utilise the 'negatively portrayed' products.
Examples
This is an advertisement for iPhone 6 plus which featured a couple conversing in the night effortlessly. Samsung did the exact opposite, with several lights indicating that the S6 has a superior camera than the iPhone and deliberately negative marketing against the brand.
BMW and Audi have long been rivals, and they have an incredible advertising battle between them. Audi has put up a banner attacking the BMW logo with a chessboard and said "Chess? "No, I'd rather be driving." BMW gave a reply with a poster where they pulled a photo of their new car BMW Z4 and said “Checkmate.” where their car was a sports car. In response to BMW, Audi released a new poster featuring their sports car, the Audi R8, and stated, "Your pawn is no match for our king."
This is a commercial in which Pepsi shows Coca-Cola in bad light with a kid who wants to dispense Pepsi from a vending machine. He dispenses Coke bottles first, then stands on the Coke cans and dispenses Pepsi. Through this marketing tactic, Pepsi demonstrated to its customers that its product is greater and better than Coca-Cola.
Conclusion
From a pessimistic standpoint, Negative marketing should be avoided at all costs because it might backfire. As it is unethical to disparage competitors, it is the absolute last thing to do. Some businesses, like Samsung, who poked fun at the infamous iPhone notch, have benefited from this, though. Thus, it may be said that businesses with large amounts of capital can gamble.
From an optimistic standpoint, Negative marketing campaigns have been found to be effective in communicating the positive elements of a product while downplaying the competition.
In summary, negative marketing is a scourge for the rest of the economy but a blessing in disguise for capital-sound industries. Being wealthy does not necessarily guarantee that you will gain from it since it must be done carefully and intelligently.
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