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Using controversy as a marketing tool 

Norman Miller, who was awarded with the Pulitzer Prize for "The Armies of the Night" and "The Executioner's Song" died today at the age of 84.

The reason I bring up Mailer's death on thealphamarketer is because he was a great marketer, and was always able to keep himself positioned in the minds people and the industry he worked in. His strong marketing talents made him about the most recognizable writer over the last 50 years. That's a formidable accomplishment.

While his writing talents were great - although many of his peers felt it wasn't ever fully tapped - his ability to market himself through controversy was even greater.

As cited here, controversy was the tool Mailer partnered with in his marketing strategy to break through all the clutter to not only make himself known, but to keep himself always in the thoughts and minds of the public. He was a master at his marketing craft.

Here's one comment on his controversial side:

"Controversy and Mailer were lifelong partners. He challenged the notion of World War II as a "good war" in the '40s, championed sexual liberation in the '50s, marched against the Vietnam War in the '60s, clashed with feminists in the '70s."

What Mailer did was learn the pulse of the public, and from there he would cut against the grain to gain a foothold into the public consciousness. From there he could use that platform to sell his books, as people from both sides of the fence would look to see what he would do or say next.

Just keep in mind that controversy can be used as a great marketing tool, but you need to have a strong grasp on how far you can go before it may turn against you. It also is determined by what it is you may be selling.

So within the context of what your company, product or service represents, controversy is a tool that needs to be considered. We shouldn't always think of the outrageous when fueling controversy, as sometimes just nudging ourselves a little off center can get us the desired publicity that brings great success.