Fine Print

Is shock value a controversial new form of media training for candidates or corporations?

If you’re like me, watching CNN has almost become a guilty pleasure, similar to catching an episode of The Hills. (I’m not saying I did … OK, maybe once).

It seems the shock value of Lauren’s relationship abruptly ending while the latest Rihanna song blares is strikingly similar to watching Sarah Palin insinuate that Barack Obama will introduce socialism to the White House. Why? Shock value.

There must be a rational lesson in behavioural science as to why many of us take pleasure in candid snippets and scandalous soundbytes. It remains undeniable that we do; a large majority of the populous get our fill of the daily news by surfing the Net, reading the headline and looking for the attached video for rapidly changing clips in an effective and colourful package. The question is: are these words lacking wisdom made deliberately?

The answer is a resounding no … and a sly yes. More often than not, shock-value soundbytes are corporate or indeed political gaffes; misnomers or statements with which the speaker wishes he or she had used better judgment when reflecting.

However, in some rare exceptions, said gaffes are deliberate. For example, John McCain stating that terrorists may test Barack Obama is a shocking statement. One could assume he wouldn’t formally write that on paper, or send that anywhere. He was caught in the moment because he so passionately cares for his country … or he simply reiterated the words from the shock value-friendly Democratic VP nominee, Joe Biden.

McCain may today regret the statement, but I sincerely doubt it, because for that split second, everyone considered his faux pas. It caused one to ponder a potential attack for that brief moment, an experience that arched, if not raised an eyebrow.

This is clearly relative to corporate strategy in its entirety, in that this tendency to wield hyperbole could potentially create the opportunity for new marketing strategies. It wouldn’t be a bold, new standard doctrine for both politicians and corporations. It would simply follow a remarkable trend that seems to be subtly, or perhaps, not so subtly, on the rise.

~ Sam Amsterdam, Account Coordinator, GCI Canada