Start-ups have been told to be wary of stunt marketing techniques after Cotton On provoked negative media coverage for the colourful language used on its Christmas cards.<\/p>\n
<\/span> <\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Jo Macdermott, founder and director of Next Marketing, says start-ups who engage in stunt marketing must be prepared for a backlash against their brand.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Her comments come in response to a Cotton On marketing stunt, with the retail clothing chain in hot water over a range of Christmas cards featuring swearwords.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The cards, which feature slogans including \u201cMerry F—ing Christmas and \u201cHappy Christmas D—head\u201d, are being sold as part of Cotton On\u2019s Typo stationery range. Wrapping paper emblazoned with similar slogans is also available.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Religious leaders have described the cards as \u201cexceptionally gross and offensive\u201d, but Cotton On\u2019s buying and production manager Julie Christy has defended the cards, labelling them a bestseller.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe cards aren\u2019t derogatory, they don\u2019t promote violence or ill-feeling, and they\u2019re targeted at younger customers who have a different attitude,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Deakin University marketing expert Dr Paul Harrison says the cards are probably being sold to fill a gap in the market and are a reflection of today\u2019s society.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI personally think the idea is quite offensive, but it doesn\u2019t surprise me that people will buy these cards because Cotton On is targeting a different audience,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Macdermott says Cotton On has a history of being a bit controversial with its products so she\u2019s also unsurprised by the nature of the cards.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s part of their brand identity, which primarily appeals to the tween and teen markets. Whether or not [stunt marketing] is a smart move for a start-up is questionable,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIf, for example, you have a brand of T-shirts featuring bold statements, pulling a marketing stunt to get publicity might be a smart, strategic move.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cBut if you\u2019re a consultant and you want to be taken seriously by the corporate market, I wouldn\u2019t recommend that sort of marketing. I think it\u2019s better suited to retail and could see other brands doing it as well.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThere is a market for quirky things… It might be quite appropriate for a small business to do it but how far you take it is a calculated risk. There\u2019s a fine line between cheeky and crass.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019re just starting up with no real budget and your marketing stunt goes pear-shaped, is it worth it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Macdermott\u2019s says when it comes to stunt marketing to ensure it aligns with your brand strategy and prepare yourself for a possible backlash against your brand and be ready to justify your approach.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Start-ups have been told to be wary of stunt marketing techniques after Cotton On provoked negative media coverage for the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":61166,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17,1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40271"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40271"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40271\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/61166"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40271"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40271"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40271"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}