Calvin Klein, Inc. is a clothing brand that was founded in 1968 by designer Calvin Klein and his business partner Barry Schwartz in New York City, United States (Calvin Klein, 2017). The company offers designer collections under various Calvin Klein sub-brands for men and women, which are distributed in over 100 countries worldwide. The Calvin Klein advertisement below was a 50-foot tall billboard/poster that was installed in New York City's SoHo neighborhood. The advertisement depicts a woman lying on top of a man, passionately kissing another man who is sitting on a couch. A third man is lying on his back in front of the couch. All four people in the photograph are topless, seemingly without underwear, wearing only jeans. This caused public outrage, as some believed that the advertisement suggested the slogan "foursome".
Nike vs. the devil 0:1
In March 2021, Nike sued Brooklyn-based art collective MSCHF over a controversial pair of Satan Shoes that contained a drop of real human blood in the sole. They won the case, and MSCHF had to stop selling the shoes. The story doesn't end there.
Before the case went to court and the advert was taken forex data down, the shoes sold out in one minute at $1,018 (£740) a pair. All Nike achieved by trying to stop the sneakers from being sold was that the custom went from being a niche product few people had heard of to a global sensation, raising Lil Nas X’s profile internationally and the level of awareness online. For the 666 people who bought the shoes, Nike simply increased the value and interest in the sneakers.
Pros
The first and most obvious is that provocative ads get extra exposure. Research shows that shocking content is more likely to cut through the noise and be remembered. So if your ad is somewhat shocking, more people will notice and remember it.
Speaking of extra publicity, shocking ad campaigns tend to go viral, giving you an unwitting following of fans. People will share your provocative videos or images to tell others how outrageous they are.
Another interesting tidbit: Sometimes brands and nonprofits pay for shocking ads to draw attention to serious issues. In 1992, Benetton used the now-famous photo of dying HIV/AIDS activist David Kirby in an ad campaign. Kirby’s family gave the company permission to use the photo to show the world the effects of AIDS, which was a taboo subject at the time. As a result, the photo was seen by millions of people, and Benetton gained notoriety, both good and bad.