SXSW 2020

Parasitic Marketing in the Age of Rage

The world is more divided than ever. Starting from the political spectrum to the gender debate to even climate change, everything has gravitated from a civilized debate to echo chambers of emotional rage.

Brands have simultaneously moved from creativity to conspiracy; from great to bait; from innocent to militant.

Nowadays, the more controversial something is, the more it gets talked about. Parasitic marketing is a psychodynamic concept that similar to a behavior-altering parasite, it creates a reaction formation – mostly characterized by a craze.

In this talk, we will look at how rage is being used by brands for free exposure – and why it’s wrong.