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Is JCPenney drunk tweeting the Super Bowl? Is Sports Illustrated putting Barbie on the cover of its Swimsuit Issue? Does Groupon really think Alexander Hamilton was president?
When each of these questions flared up recently, the answer was always the same: no, not really.
Welcome to the supposedly funny, largely frustrating new trend of marketers trolling consumers and journalists with what could best be described as “intentional fouls.” Brands are feigning questionable judgment, only to reveal soon after that it was all just a joke or (in the case of Barbie) much smaller in scope than people were led to believe.
Is this the new real-time marketing? Each brand saw a spike in online conversation and media coverage that PR pros dream of.
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