Why does cringy advertising convert?

We think that each of you has noticed cringy content in your fyp at least once. Then you looked at the activity under this post and were, to put it mildly, shocked. You thought, “This is so cringy, why does this kind of content gain its popularity, but cool ‘clean’ content doesn’t?”

So today we’re going to talk about why so-called “cringe” content sometimes converts even better than something “perfect and beautiful.”

You know that black PR is also PR. Because such content evokes much more emotion and desire to discuss it in the comments than content where “there is nothing to criticize.”

This article will discuss “ugly” advertising that brings brands crazy results and success.

What are the secrets of such promotion? How can “ugly” content cause a boom in your activity? Read about this and more right now.

Cringy advertising: what is it, and why is it needed?

When it comes to advertising, people are used to imagining something like professional filming, beautiful text, and “tasty” voiceovers. However, global brands often break this stereotype and choose to approach it differently.

They deliberately use an irritating advertising format. This can include questionable phrases, spelling mistakes, “crooked” design, and so on. 

But this is clearly not about a lack of professionalism, but rather about its presence 😉 

When creating such content, the psychological aspect is taken into account. Anti-advertising is based on cognitive dissonance. It contradicts the visual expectations of users, which already evokes emotions.

For example, a silly mistake in the text or a strange pronunciation of a word. Well, here we go… Almost all viewers will pay attention to this and, in addition to their viewer positions, will also take on the role of commentators. And that’s it, there are a bunch of comments under the post where everyone writes the same thing. Some are outraged, some defend the brand, some take the “let’s live in harmony” position, and some even start arguing under one of the comments, pushing the topic further and further.

That’s roughly how it works.

Or, as another option, it increases traffic to the brand’s website. A user sees a mistake. They go to the website to find some answers. They see that the brand offers some good products. Before they know it, they are already sitting there filling their shopping cart.

Such advertising also looks more lively and authentic. As a result, people have more trust and no longer feel like they are being “sold” something.

What does cringe advertising look like?

Here is a list of the most common mistakes when creating anti-advertising:

• Spelling and other errors in the text
• Poor quality photos, strange angles, disproportionate objects.
• Stupid, primitive design that lacks any sense of taste.
• Strange fonts, lots of bright colors that hurt the eyes.
• Aggressive, controversial, or awkward wording.
• And so on.

So why does “ugly” advertising attract so much attention?

Viral

Cringe content always goes viral sooner or later. People, public pages, etc. start discussing it among themselves.

Things that do not fit into the framework of human perception evoke emotions (albeit often negative ones), interest, a desire to discuss and analyze them, etc.

Of course, you shouldn’t abuse this, so that your brand doesn’t officially become a symbol of “cringe” in your niche. Therefore, it’s good when you mostly show top-quality images, but suddenly throw in something that doesn’t fit your style at all. Then there will be even more emotions, because people are used to seeing you differently, and here you are. 

Breaking the mold

Here we return to cognitive dissonance. People are used to seeing perfect “clean” ads every day, which seem attractive, but have become boring due to their uniformity.

The user scrolls through this “minimalist” feed and sees something bright, funny, and strange. Maybe it’s not as beautiful as everything else, but the person stops and looks. 

People have already developed certain patterns in their minds by which they perceive content. Therefore, “cringe” will somehow attract attention and make them stay, because it is something unusual, albeit “silly.” But it’s still interesting 😉 (especially if it’s a world-famous brand).

Humanity

A light or even clumsy presentation, mistakes in the text or pronunciation, and other quirks create a “real” and “lively” vibe.

Users perceive this as something “their own.” Trust grows, and so does the desire to purchase the advertised product.

Cases with “ugly” advertising

Duolingo — the legendary owl

What they did:

Duolingo started a TikTok account where the main character is a wild owl. It’s not just a cute bird that encourages people to learn languages. It’s aggressive, energetic, and a little “crazy.” The videos are full of cringe, humor, strange dances, grotesque, and so on. 

(If you’ve ever downloaded Duolingo, remember those notifications with manipulative phrases that the app sends when you haven’t completed your tasks for a day. Even so, you can understand the basis of the wild owl’s character).

What they got:

The account became very popular and started to receive crazy activity. More and more young people are downloading it, learning languages, and remembering the main jokes of the program. Certain “trends” related to Duolingo also began to form. Young people are still actively filming TikTok videos about it, coming up with other jokes, and so on. The app is gaining traction, and audience engagement is growing rapidly.

Burger King — moldy burger

What they did:

In the advertisement for a new hamburger, they decided not to show a delicious, juicy burger that makes you want to eat the phone you’re looking at. They made a bold move and showed how food becomes disgustingly moldy and decomposes.

What they got:

We won’t say that it caused a lot of excitement, but Burger King was able to show that the new burger is natural and preservative-free. So despite the audience’s disgust, sales of the new Whopper still increased.

Old Spice — silly videos

What they did:

Old Spice has long been practicing the creation of cringy ads. These are strange montages with “crooked” transitions, exaggeration, excessive masculinity, and so on. This should annoy the audience, but on the contrary, it causes laughter and discomfort. Therefore, people discuss it, share the content, and increase activity.

What they got:

The brand has become a symbol of irony and audacity. 

Its iconic ad with the slogan: “Look at your man, now look at me.”

Snickers — mistakes on the packaging

What they did:

Here’s an example of a global brand deliberately using mistakes in the text. The brand printed packaging for bars with errors in the name: Snikkers, Snikers, Snickres, etc. And later, instead of the name, they began to write words on the bars: “rebel,” “princess,” “grumpy beaver,” etc.

They created the well-known slogan: “You’re not you when you’re hungry.”

What they got:

This theme went viral, and people bought bars based on the principle of “choose who you are today.” Or they gave them to friends and deliberately chose the strangest inscriptions to laugh about together.

In summary

Anti-advertising is also advertising. Sometimes it can be quite “crude,” and sometimes brands just add a little more humor and awkwardness to entertain and interest people.

Cringe ads are well received, evoke a lot of emotions, and stimulate increased activity on the brand’s pages.

It should not be overused, so as not to be labeled a “cringe brand,” but sometimes you can go beyond the boundaries and break the stereotypical view of typical advertising.