[Netherrealmer]

What is Anger Marketing?

It is a controversial business move many company does by provoking negative emotion to it's fanbase. This type of marketing is usually done by entertainment and technological companies with a huge following already. They intentionally alienate and anger their fanbase to cause controversy. This controversy will get the attention of the casuals, or people who are not fans of the material. The number of casuals are still bigger than the number of the fans. Casuals will be come curious of the controversy and caused by the outrage of the old schools fans causing the casuals to be curious about it and buy the product making a newer and bigger fanbase. The angry old school fans, most of them will still buy the product anyway even if they are angry. There times Anger marketing paid off and there are times where it backfired very bad.

In pro-wrestling, something you will notice is that the heels or villainous wrestlers tends to have longer championship reigns over the baby faces or heroic characters. For sure a baby face being champion will make people happy but for some reason, Baby faces tends to become stale if their title reign is too long. The audience seemed to sympathize with the baby face more if they are chasing the title instead of holding it for a long time. The audience hates the heels or villains so when their title reign is so long, the audience looks forward to see them get defeated. When they win it angers the audience so the moment they lose it, it will make the audiences happy.


Anger Marketing is also common on technological businesses. Remember the controversy when Iphone gets rid of the headset ports? So they force people to use Iphone's wireless earbuds instead? The anger and it caused the consumers gets the attention of many casuals, making them buy the product. Sometimes negative publicity is still publicity.

Something you will notice on successful forums on the internet is the fact there is this troll moderators and admins refuses to ban no matter how much nuisance and annoyance they cause. Apparently the negative emotion these trolls cause increases the activity on the forums. Angry members tends to post more than happy members. They may alienate some members and have them quit but it makes the remaining members provide more click rate and traffic.

In the word of videogames, Anger marketing is very rampant. They will kill off a beloved character that the fans really love or they will change the format of the game that the fanbase prefer. Controversial decisions tends to create more buzz on social media and attracts the casual audience. The casual audience is still a bigger number than the fans so companies do not care if they alienate the fans as long as they can get the bigger money source, which are the casuals. It is a risk they are willing to take just to get more money.

If you want to combat the anger marketing companies do, instead of complaining online and give them publicity to attract casuals, just don't give them money. Your Anger will just give them more money.

[cmoneyspinner]

Anger Marketing is stupid! Yeah I know it works. But it's still stupid!

[Netherrealmer]

Anger Marketing is stupid! Yeah I know it works. But it's still stupid!

If you think about it, people still bough the new Iphone despite of the removal of headset vault.

[ceci]

I think I know the tactics, thanks for the explanation.
The dealer make you angry first with not act as promised, then provide a little more freebie to make you turn anger into happy face.

[Netherrealmer]

No it is more angering you because you will buy it anyway and your anger will make the casuals who are not fans notice them.

[cmoneyspinner]

Business.com published an article about 4 successful marketing strategies and did mention "anger" but it was buried under the umbrella for word-of-mouth marketing. If you use this strategy you're supposed to try to trigger emotional responses in people to get them to act. You either get them excited, you make them laugh, or you get them angry. Personally I like the technique where they make me laugh. I don't like for people to make me angry. I feel psychologically manipulated.

[nela13]

Companies use that kind of marketing to call attention, to make their products more visible to the public, everyone knows it attracts more people to buy their product. It the famous sentence (don't know who said this) Speak bad or not about me, I don't care, what really matters is that you talk about me!

[Carson20t]

This is an interesting strategy and yes it really works to some extent because I have seen a situation or that kind where a big franchise makes a headline for the wrong things which causes a public outcry but at the end of the day engangement is growing towards that particular franchise.At a point they will put a stop to the whole fracas and they will be to the winning side.

[Mika]

I understand the point. People love anti-hero more than the hero. Maybe the savage nature of human beings has not died, therefore negativity sells.

[sweerie_banana]

I have noticed that in plenty of forums. I am now understanding how Anger Marketing sells.

[Yugocean]

I am angry man, but I know how to manage it. I may get angry and show-off my anger to myself, it cools me on time instead of keeping me hot n wild with anger.

[uobill]

I think that this can be true in politics as well. When politicians act in a highly extraordinary way, they usually get far more attention from the media than candidates who are more conventional.

[cmoneyspinner]

I think that this can be true in politics as well. When politicians act in a highly extraordinary way, they usually get far more attention from the media than candidates who are more conventional.

Yeah. But it's usually the conventional politicians that get the work done for the people while the other ones are showing off and causing controversy instead of WORKING!!!

[ladyninja]

Incredible! First time I heard about this actually. But it makes sense that it would work. However, I think it works more for some entertainment sectors more than others. It works very with wrestling but maybe not so much for others. Loyal fanbase will feel cheated and cut off.

[Netherrealmer]

Video Game industry actually suffers from this. Look at Konami intentionally insulting and alienating their fans.

[Mika]

I think the best example of anger marketing can be seen in politics, mostly during the elections. Actually, election campaigns are nothing but insults against the opposition.

[GuestHu]

Even other YouTubers or our local YouTubers here. They provoke people and angry people came to watch his videos. He may receive a lot of hate messages but at the same time, he also earns from it because of the views he garnered.
Genius a-hole. sigh.

[Ezzyoj]

Companies tends to look for ways to make their products sell. Using entertainers to advertise their products is one way people like the celebrity and pass the likes to the product

[Abigael]

It is my first time learning about anger marketting. Of course I have seen such controversies, but I did not know that it was a strategy. And they do work, negative publicity is truly publicity still.

[GuestHu]

Companies tends to look for ways to make their products sell. Using entertainers to advertise their products is one way people like the celebrity and pass the likes to the product

Because they know that most consumers are a fool. They think that if they will use the product, which the celebrity advertised, they think they will be like them.

It is my first time learning about anger marketting. Of course I have seen such controversies, but I did not know that it was a strategy. And they do work, negative publicity is truly publicity still.

Sometimes, some companies will create a weird commercial to go viral and customers would likely buy their products. Most Japanese commercials are weird and it's quite effective to hook their audience.