I am a viral marketing expert and I make bones to reach Gen Z. The American eagle and the ragebait elf are only gasoline on the fire

This is what many people wondered after American Eagle abandoned his campaign of Sydney Sweeney “Blue Jeans” and Elf Cosmetics launched their last announcement featuring the controversial actor Matt Rife – only to look at the two virals for all the bad reasons.

Was it accidental? Intentional? Is this really the new marketing play book?

Whether these brands have seen the counterpoup or not, the biggest question is stronger than ever: is that what the brand’s advertising and engagement looks like in today’s attention economy?

Welcome to the era of ragebait

As a founder of Viral Marketing Stars®, I spent the last decade studying and managing viral campaigns that resonate – in particular with generation Z, the most ruthless online public.

If you have never heard the term, Ragebait Marketing is simple: a brand does something polarizing or controversial – sometimes accidentally but often intentionally – in order to become viral by wreaking havoc in the comments and by inspiring pieces and millions of dollars in free advertising.

And the truth is that it works – at least on the surface, if you measure the success of a campaign in views.

After all, social media algorithms reward commitment. The more comments, shares and look at time than a piece of content gets, the more it is amplified.

Researchers from the University of Tulane call this “the effect of confrontation”, where people are more likely to interact with the content that questions their point of view than with the content that aligns with them.

It is cheaper than traditional advertising, faster than forging a reputation and a foolproof way to flood your brand of attention.

So yes, ragebait is trendy. But does that mean it’s intelligent?

What happened with American Eagle and Elf

The American Eagle campaign featured Sweeney with the slogan “Sydney Sweeney has an excellent jeans” and it did not take long for the backlash to strike.

Some thought it was a not so subtle reference to eugenics, due to the blond hair of Sweeney, blue eyes and the link with the concept of transmission of lines through genes. Others estimated that he was harmless and even praised him as a rejection of a culture too “awake”.

At ELF at Elf, the counterpoup that came as quickly when their announcement presented Matt Rife – a popular crowd working actor who has become famous on Tiktok – due to the history of Rife of jokes of domestic violence so fun and humor to the daring brother. Of all famous influencers, why would a beauty brand choose it?

Although we cannot know with certainty of this answer, we know that these campaigns have remained live and no excuse was published – just short brand declarations that have left their main clientele even more confused.

Did they try to piss off people? Or were they simply negligent?

This is the problem with Ragebait. Even if you did not want to trigger a fire, you should always turn it off.

Ragebait vs real strategy

Let’s be clear – all controversy is not a bad strategy. Some of the most impactful campaigns in the history of marketing were polarizing. But there is a difference between polarization and chaos.

Take the Nike campaign in 2018 with Colin Kaepernick – an announcement that featured the former NFL player who kneel during the national anthem to protest against police brutality, with the slogan “Believe in something.” Even if it means sacrificing everything ”.

It was division; The boycotts have occurred and the hashtags are tense. But nike? They did not give in because the announcement has aligned their values ​​of courage, rebellion and risk.

You might even say that they were not ragebauting. They stood on business.

This is why I like to call it “Stando-insiness marketing”-where you explain what you think, to whom you are talking to and that you are ready to take the heat of the opposite camp if it is a by-product of your message. But the objective is not indignation. Standing on the business is.

When you think about it, the basic customers of Nike has seen in the announcement. While American Eagle and Elf have left their main customers feeling confused and disappointed.

The real cost of cheap attention

Here is the part that most brands are missing: attention ≠ loyalty.

You cannot measure success only through views, especially if your campaign erodes confidence and alienates your main customers.

And in 2025, confidence is everything – especially with Gen Z, which does not only consume campaigns – they call marks in real time. I worked with thousands of creators and brands trying to reach this generation and unravel noise on social networks – and something that I know with certainty: if you lose their confidence, you will not recover it.

So, if you are not ready to stand behind your choices before the counter coupling touches, you are not ready to be launched.

Play too safe? It is also a risk

But let’s not claim that the solution is never controversial. Playing too sure is just as dangerous.

I saw it from the first hand as a viral marketing strategist which helps brands to become viral by design – in particular with generation Z, if necessary and reality beat the varnish each time.

Customers with excellent ideas and powerful products have been overestimated in visibility. They are so afraid to rush the feathers that their message falls flat and ended up reaching no one.

This is what I call Ghost Marketing – where your content is so sure that it ends up being invisible.

If Ragebait sets fire to the Internet, ghost marketing whispers in a vacuum.

If you want to stand out, you have to defend something. The common ground is clarity, not neutrality.

What smart brands do

Do you want to launch a successful viral campaign today? Here is what I advise you to keep in mind:

• Be daring, but intentional and culturally aware – in particular on the culture of generation Z.

• Make a partnership with ambassadors who have your target audience and line up with the values ​​of your brand – not just a large fans base.

• Prepare for the Internet to react. Have a plan, a declaration and a position before publishing the publication.

• And above all, do not try to become viral by causing customers you want to keep.

You can become viral by triggering positive (laughs, fear, belonging, nostalgia) or negative reactions, such as rabies – just make sure it comes from the people you don’t serve, not from your basic customers.

Because virality does not come from millions of followers or a massive advertising budget. It comes from an emotional response. The content becomes viral when shared, and the content is shared when people feel something and want to talk about it.

Rage is just an emotion. And if you choose it as the main marketing lever, you better make sure you can manage what accompanies it.

Last word

Ragebait marketing could attract attention and advertising (especially if it triggers generation Z). And yes, we could see more campaigns raged in the future. But all advertisements are not good advertising.

The most intelligent brands in 2025 do not continue indignation. They stand in business. And they make daring decisions for alignment, not just the shock value.

Because at the end of the day, becoming viral is easy. Build (and keep) your customers loyal to life? It is a strategy.

The opinions expressed in the Fortune.com comments are only the views of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of Fortune.