- Branding + Blessings by Jordan Rogers
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- Enragement š” = Engagement š
Enragement š” = Engagement š
The True Fuel of Social Marketing

Good Ad or Bad Bad?
Hereās a quick but critical reminder from inside the marketing conference room:
āEnragement = Engagementā
Itās a phrase worth repeatingāespecially after a week full of internet outrage. Iām beginning to wonder if itās the primary emotion of the internet, but I digress.
Whether you're praising a brand campaign or cancelling the brand through an angry video, you're part of the engine that drives its success.

š” What Industry Insiders Know
For those of us whoāve sat in countless marketing meetings, hereās what matters most on the campaign success scorecard:
Media impressions are king.
Shares, visibility, mentionsāpositive or negativeāall count.
And yes, outrage counts as attention.
šš½ Negative Sentiment? Still a Win.
You might think you're taking a stand against bad creative. But if youāre fueling the algorithmāeven to criticize itāyouāre still increasing its reach.
We may be past the era of canceling and entering one where:
Controversy is channelled, not cancelled.
Controversy finds the right audience by sometimes agitating the wrong one.

ā ļø Why This Works
Because hereās the ugly truth in a divided media landscape:
If 51% love your message, 49% will hate it.
And if 49% hate it loudly, the 51% will double down in support.
Especially in todayās incredibly toxic political discourse, condemnation fuels conviction. David French, a political commentator, calls it ānegative partisanismā, meaning we gain more points for who we hate in politics rather than what we stand for. Marketing is next.
ā What This Means for You (as a Critic)
Before you rate, review, or roast a campaign:
Remember how the metrics work.
Recognize your role in the distribution pipeline.
Ask: Is this outrage going to stop this, or fuel this? [ donāt be too sure with your answer]
Because, the more you complain, the more it signals to the algorithm that itās a subject worth promoting.
Ignorant marketers will reap the benefits of their stumbled into outrage, and smart marketers will laugh all the way to the bank.
Oscar Wilde knew all along, āNothing succeeds like excess.ā
Education:
The BrandFathers new episode is out NOW: This week, The Fathers get into the sports marketing world and talk everything from Caitlin Clark & the WNBAās conundrm to the blanding of running brands. Oren & Jordan explain the Caitlin Clark X Nike X WNBA challenges to Ashwinn, who known nothing about sports. Itās fun.
Inspiration:
The best Running Campaign of 2024 is backā¦
Aesthetic Weights: a new take on old medal.
This piece on the founder of MOOLAH Kicks, the womenās basketball shoe brand was fascinating.
Billboard Fun for Happy Gilmore:
Blessings: