The biggest mistake to date?

In an overly saturated world of marketing communications, it might seem impossible for your ad to gain traction … unless you make a mistake. Breakfast show “Sunrise” presenter and owner of KBB agency David kosch or “koschie”, as we all know him by, has recently been in hot water after using the hashtag #socialsuicide to promote an article on social media use.

Experts are deeming the use of the term “suicide” out of context as a misrepresentation of the suicide issue and a “total lack of sensitivity around suicide and its prevention”. However, was this really a mistake? 

Controversy and contentious issues are the building blocks of virality. Koschie’s trending hashtag, Sportsbets ad promoting drug cheats and Vegemite’s latest “tastes like Australia” ad showcasing Pauline Hanson as an Aussie icon all play on contentious issues in an attempt to cut through a marketplace of content- and it works. It gets people engaged and most importantly gets people talking. However where do we draw the line? How contentious is too contentious?

Arguments can be made that the casual use of the word suicide brings exposure and gets people talking about the issue rather than hindering it, and the use of Pauline as a “National icon” brings a sense of cultural identity and branding along with the political turmoil which may arise.

Is it a balancing act of subjectivity and morale?

Should we be able to use touchy subjects to make our content viral?