Obviously the formula of controversy has worked for them. Proof of this is that many years later we continue to mention their campaigns.
In the case of Smith, the controversy earned him his career, in the video of Youtube mentions that “There’s not a part of me that thinks that was the right way to behave at the time,” says Smith, who sighs heavily at points and appears to be fighting back tears, says in the video. “There’s not a part of me that thinks that’s the optimal way to handle a feeling of disrespect or insults.”
Smith also addressed questions about whether Pinkett Smith, who was seen on camera rolling her eyes at Rock’s joke comparing his buzz cut to the one Demi Moore sports in “GI Jane,” had urged him to charge up the stage. The actor said that his wife did not say anything that prompted him to attack Rock.
“It’s like, you know, I made a decision on my own, from my own experiences, from my history with Chris,” says Smith. “Jada had nothing to do with it. I’m sorry honey. I want to apologize to my children and my family for the heat it caused us all”.
It was speculated that Smith would come clean about the fallout surrounding Rock’s slap in an interview with a high-profile journalist like Oprah Winfrey, but instead, the actor opted to use social media to address his fans directly.
As we can see, controversy can guarantee the attention of a massive audience, the attempt to break prejudices or established schemes can generate greater impact than a conventional campaign. But does this type of resource always translate into a greater impact? The answer is always variable, the advertising reality is always so broad that it overflows any established mold.