Hack says from a creative perspective, pushing the limits is not necessarily a bad thing, but brands need to be aware they will inevitably upset some people.
“I’d say the reasons the negative reaction might be happening is that people are more focused on the sport, than they are about Roxy as a fashion brand.
Hack says there are a number of things businesses need to keep in mind before launching an online campaign:
Hack says brands need to make sure their ad will be received well by their key consumers.
“You need to consider who your target is, who the brand is in the mind of the audience, where your competition is and where the brand lies in the eyes of the audience.”
“One you’ve got an idea of your position, if it’s not where you want to be in the eyes of your audience, change your communications. If it’s appealing to the people who want to purchase your products, then it’s an effective piece of communication,” he says.
For brands, Hack says sometimes it’s okay for a campaign to have a “polarising”effect.
“These days, there are so many brands out there in every category, sometimes by being polarising this is what gets your cut through and gets you noticed.”
“Otherwise, you can lose the effectiveness and the punch of your advertising, as long as the people who are upset aren’t your target audience,” he says.
As well as knowing your target audience, Hack says brands need to have a set of clear objectives outlining what they want to achieve from a campaign.
“For this Roxy piece, it seems the purpose would be around brand awareness and awareness for the upcoming competition. Given the hype it’s got, there is now a lot more awareness than there was three years ago.
“A communications piece needs to be tailored around ticking the boxes,” he says.
With the release of a campaign, brands need to anticipate the reaction of their audience.
“Before releasing a campaign and it goes live, it’s important to forecast what reaction you think you’re going to get from various different stakeholders – target audience, community groups, etc,” says Hack.
“If you’re going to take a risk and you know it could offend some people, have a crisis management plan in place before it goes live, so you’re walking in head first and you’re prepared for any backlash you might get,” Hack says.
