Marketing by controversy - Time Magazine's current cover

Have you seen the latest issue of Time Magazine?  It is stirring a great deal of controversy, as it features a three year old breast feeding.  The picture is done to highlight "attachment parenting," which, among other things, encourages breast feeding for as long as possible.

That being said: come on.  The purpose of the picture was obviously to generate controversy, and ideally for Time, to generate magazine sales as well.  That's pretty obvious.

Of course, such a decision could go either way.  On one hand, people are talking and the news magazine is now getting news coverage itself.  The issue is an interesting one, and a controversial one, and the topic certainly matches the cover.

Of course, it could backfire.  What if stores pull the issue (as Walmart has done in the past to other forms of media), or if advertisers pull out?  The question remains about how this will be received by the public at large.

Now, here's the question for you: is there a lesson to be learned in this?  Are there ways that you can market by controversy?  For the average small business: probably not.  It really depends on your demographic and if the negatives outweigh the positives.  BUT, this does prove a point - controversy and provocative ads do sell, or at the very least, they get notices (particularly in the viral age of Social Media).

Think of your industry, and ask yourself - how can you shock?  Can you?
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