The new Spirit Airlines Weiner campaign features a well-timed (yet coarse) advertising campaign that seeks to capitalize on one of the biggest political scandals to dominate the news cycle in months.
Two days ago, Congressional 9th District Congressman Anthony Weiner, held a press conference where he admitted to the media, his wife and the world that he had been lying about the sexual misconduct allegations that he had been ardently denying for over a week.
The Spirit Airlines Weiner campaign highlights their incredibly low $9 fares, while stating their fares are "too hard to pass up." This isn't the first time Spirit Airlines has created an ad campaign to try and capitalize on a controversial issue, Spirit Airlines also released comedic ads about the Tiger Woods saga of two years ago and last year's BP Oil Spill.
While the ads may be considered a shameless attempt at controversy courting, I think the Spirit Airlines Weiner campaign deserves credit for being timely and funny.
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Why This Trend Is Growing
- Controversial Ad Campaigns
- There is a growing trend towards creating ad campaigns that deliberately court controversy in order to gain media attention and increase brand awareness.
- Timed Marketing Strategies
- More and more businesses are discovering the benefits of launching marketing campaigns that are timed to coincide with major news events or cultural trends.
- Humorous Advertising
- Humor is becoming an increasingly popular tool for marketers looking to capture the attention of consumers, especially in the age of social media where viral marketing campaigns are king.
Industries Being Reshaped
- Airlines
- The airline industry has a lot to gain from creating attention-grabbing ad campaigns that highlight their low fares or other differentiating factors in order to stand out in a crowded market.
- Marketing and Advertising
- In the world of marketing and advertising, there is a growing need to find innovative and disruptive ways to reach consumers in an increasingly crowded and noisy marketplace.
- News Media
- The controversy surrounding Spirit Airlines' Weiner campaign highlights the powerful role that the news media can play in shaping public opinion and popular culture, and the potential benefits to companies who are able to effectively harness this power for their marketing purposes.
