What is Rage Baiting?
We’ve all been there, innocently doom-scrolling through social media when suddenly we scroll
across an ad. No, we didn’t ask for it, but it’s there, and the five-second introduction seems
interesting enough. So, we pause our thumb on the ad and continue watching only to find out
the brand we are watching has created a controversial partnership. Whether in terms of optics,
celebrity partnership, or sentiment, nowadays, brands have become accustomed to shifting
away from smart marketing to marketing that stirs up emotion, oftentimes anger and discourse
amongst their audience, otherwise known as rage baiting. On the surface level, it’s easy to say
that the marketing missed the mark or leadership led the team astray. But, listen, what if… that
was the point.
In recent years, marketers, both formally and informally trained, have been utilizing baiting
techniques to lure prospects into “learning more” about their products, services, or offerings.
Whether it's an influencer, trapping you with a free webinar, or a company inviting you to a
tasting event for their new drink, they are all baiting you to ultimately become a paying
customer. Since the pandemic, it seems like brands are more susceptible to producing ads that ignite some sort of tension between them and their audience. From Cracker Barrel changing its
historic logo, American Eagle seemingly promoting an anti-diversity campaign with Sydney
Sweeney, and Serena Williams endorsing a GLP-1 product. Are companies trying to get you
upset? Well, at this point, I think so.
Anger is Profitable
It is said that people decide emotionally and retroactively explain with logic. Let’s face it there is
no logical reason why you want those $500 shoes, but emotionally you know that they will give
you this feeling of glamour and luxury, so you yearn for them. So, this begs the question if
emotions are one of the driving factors of consumerism, why would companies want to make
you angry? Wouldn’t that be counterintuitive? Like a Trojan Horse that you invite into your city,
rage baiting does the same thing, except using reverse psychology. It pushes you to the point
where you have to research, comment, or state your opinion on a brand, ultimately pushing the
company into the public spotlight. For influencers or marketers, engagement often means more
dollars, maybe not immediately but eventually. So, by sprinkling a bit of rage baiting into your
marketing mix, you might have something that will always have your company in the spotlight.
Is It Ethical Or Not?
Ethically, I believe it's manipulative. Marketing can and should be done for good. But, for some
people, doing anything to sell is a job well done.