What in the marketing department is going on?
That’s what many people have been asking themselves after American Eagle dropped its “blue jeans” Sydney Sweeney campaign and e.l.f. Cosmetics launched their latest ad featuring the controversial comedian Matt Rife — only to watch both go viral for all the wrong reasons.
Was this accidental? Intentional? Is this really the new marketing playbook?
Whether these brands saw the backlash coming or not, the bigger question is louder than ever: Is this what advertising and brand engagement look like in today’s attention economy?
Welcome to the era of ragebait
As the founder of Viral Marketing Stars®, I’ve spent the last decade studying and engineering viral campaigns that resonate — especially with Gen Z, the most unforgiving audience online.
If you’ve never heard the term, ragebait marketing is simple: a brand does something polarizing or controversial — sometimes accidentally but often intentionally — with the goal of going viral by wreaking havoc in the comments and inspiring think pieces and millions of dollars in free publicity.
And the truth is, it works — at least on the surface, if you measure the success of a campaign in views.
After all, the social media algorithms reward engagement. The more comments, shares, and watch time a piece of content gets, the more it’s amplified.
Researchers from Tulane University call this the “confrontation effect”, where people are more likely to interact with content that challenges their views than with content that aligns with them.
It’s cheaper than traditional advertising, faster than building a reputation, and a surefire way to flood your brand with attention.
So yes, ragebait is trending. But does that mean it’s smart?
What happened with American Eagle and e.l.f.
American Eagle’s campaign featured Sweeney with the tagline “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans” and it didn’t take long for backlash to hit.
Some felt it was a not-so-subtle reference to eugenics, due to Sweeney’s blonde hair, blue eyes, and the connection to the concept of passing down traits through genes. Others felt it was harmless and even praised it as a rejection of overly “woke” culture.
Over at at e.l.f., the backlash came just as fast when their ad featured Matt Rife — a popular crowdwork comedian who rose to fame on TikTok — due to Rife’s history of not-so-funny domestic violence jokes and edgy bro-centric humor. Of all the famous influencers, why would a beauty brand pick him?
While we can’t know for sure the answer to that question, we know those campaigns stayed live and no apologies were issued — just short brand statements that left their core customer base even more confused.
Were they trying to piss people off? Or were they just careless?
That’s the problem with ragebait. Even if you didn’t mean to start a fire, you still have to put it out.
Ragebait vs. real strategy
Let’s be clear — not all controversy is bad strategy. Some of the most impactful campaigns in marketing history were polarizing. But there’s a difference between polarizing and chaos.
Take Nike’s 2018 campaign with Colin Kaepernick — an ad that featured the former NFL player who famously kneeled during the national anthem to protest police brutality, with the tagline “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything”.
It was divisive; boycotts occurred, and hashtags trended. But Nike? They didn’t cave because the ad aligned with their values of courage, rebellion, and risk.
You might even argue they weren’t ragebaiting. They were standing on business.
That’s why I like to call this “Stand-on-Business Marketing” — where you’re vocal about what you believe, who you’re speaking to, and willing to take the heat from the opposite camp if it comes as a byproduct of your message. But the goal isn’t outrage. Standing on business is.
When you think about it, Nike’s core customer base saw themselves in the ad. Whereas American Eagle and e.l.f. left their core customers feeling confused and disappointed.
The real cost of cheap attention
Here’s the part most brands miss: attention ≠ loyalty.
You can’t measure success just by views alone — especially if your campaign erodes trust and alienates your core customer base.
And in 2025, trust is everything — especially with Gen Z, who don’t just consume campaigns — they call out brands in real time. I’ve worked with thousands of creators and brands trying to reach this generation and break through the noise on social media — and one thing I know for certain: if you lose their trust, you won’t get it back.
So if you’re not ready to stand behind your choices before the backlash hits, you’re not ready to launch.
Playing it too safe? That’s a risk, too
But let’s not pretend the solution is never to be controversial. Playing it too safe is just as dangerous.
I’ve seen it firsthand as a viral marketing strategist who helps brands go viral by design — especially with Gen Z, where relevance and realness beat polish every time.
Clients with great ideas and powerful products over-edit themselves into visibility. They’re so afraid to ruffle feathers that their message falls flat and ends up reaching nobody.
That’s what I call Ghost Marketing — where your content is so safe that it ends up being invisible.
If ragebait is setting the internet on fire, ghost marketing is whispering into the void.
If you want to stand out, you have to stand for something. The middle ground is clarity, not neutrality.
What smart brands Are doing instead
Want to launch a successful viral campaign today? Here’s what I would advise you to keep in mind:
• Be bold, but intentional and culturally aware — especially on Gen Z culture.
• Partner with ambassadors who have your target audience and align with your brand values – not just a large fanbase.
• Prepare for the internet to react. Have a plan, a statement, and a stance before you hit publish.
• And most importantly, don’t try to go viral by provoking a customer base you want to retain.
You can go viral by triggering positive reactions (laughter, awe, belonging, nostalgia) or negative ones, such as rage — just make sure it’s from the people you don’t serve, not your core customer base.
Because virality doesn’t come from having millions of followers or a massive ad budget. It comes from an emotional response. Content goes viral when it gets shared, and content gets shared when people feel something and want to talk about it.
Rage is only one emotion. And if you choose it as your main marketing lever, you better be sure you can handle what comes with it.
Final Word
Ragebait marketing might get the attention and publicity (especially if it triggers Gen Z). And yes, we might see more ragebait campaigns going forward. But not all publicity is good publicity.
The smartest brands in 2025 aren’t chasing outrage. They’re standing on business. And they’re making bold decisions for alignment, not just shock value.
Because at the end of the day, going viral is easy. Building (and keeping) your customers loyal for life? That’s strategy.
The opinions expressed in Fortune.com commentary pieces are solely the views of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of Fortune.
