Are Bad Products Good For Business?

By Doug Stephens

It seems hardly a month passes without yet another retail brand being called out for carrying a product consumers see as either gratuitously controversial, downright offensive or simply absurd.  From objectionable slogans on t-shirts to faux ethnic garb, some fashion brands seem oddly determined to piss consumers off.

So, are these fashion faux pas simply the result of innocent errors on the part of brands rushing to get items into a faster-paced fashion market or have they become central ingredient in a more deliberate media strategy?

This was the question we explored in this month’s CBC Radio segment.  You can listen HERE.

(length: 9 min 3 sec)