The power of controversy, the allure of controversial brands and people

This research projects explores the effect of controversy on brand awareness. More in particular, it aims to understand how consumers perceive brands who engage in controversy, considering the different levels of each individual’s personal sense of control. Initially we hypothesised that individuals experiencing low levels of control would be more attracted towards brands who engaged in controversy, and this would reflect in terms of immediate brand recall and recognition. However, the findings of this research did not confirm this theory, and in fact, they showed marginal evidence that it was the individuals experiencing high levels of control who were more attracted to controversial brands