Shock advertising

How much more will he sacrifice to get views? Sound familiar? His friend down the YouTube page, MrBeast, also faces this challenge.

But in itself, shock marketing or shock advertising is effective with a caveat.

The study Dao 2003 exposes that, not by surprise, consumers are more likely to remember shocking advertising content over advertising content that is not shocking, and this tactic has been used as early as 1919 where advertisers used blood, gore, disease, organs, or anything taboo to capture attention.

For example, Calvin Klein's controversial advertisements in the mid-1990s, where teenage models, some of whom were as young as 15, were in campaigns that many considered as soft porn that was exploitative, shocking, and suggestive.

But other examples include CDC's Tips From a Former Smoker, and the Choose One campaign, showing children holding items that had either been banned or not banned in America.

Arguably, when used ethically and with an intended purpose, such as to reduce smoking or end gun violence, shock marketing can create a phenomenal impact.

In other words, the views are merely a means to an end.

But in the case of Nikocado and other sensationalist personalities, the shock itself is both the end and the brand.