
Pearl Milling, previously known as “Aunt Jemima,” sits on shelves before their rebrand.
“Rage Bait” is an everyday term, but what does it mean? Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it as “online content that is intentionally offensive or provocative.” This type of content is becoming a frequent and widespread marketing strategy to gain more engagement, but is it too much?
Though rage baiting has become more prevalent now, the term and its use have been in place longer than suspected. The phrase itself has been in service since 2009. Some previous forms included clickbait headlines or thumbnails, as well as exaggerated content. Recently, it has been pushed to harmful stereotypes, misinformation, and fake scenarios. This can be highly detrimental because it creates toxic social environments, spreads negativity impacting mental health, and can lead to extreme viewpoints based on phony information.
Examples of extreme rage baiting, or just oblivion, lately include E.L.F. Cosmetics’ ad with controversial comedian Matt Rife, American Eagle’s ad with Sydney Sweeney, and multiple Dunkin’ Donuts instances. One might ask why these companies are facing such intense backlash. To start, E.L.F. posted a collaboration on Instagram featuring Rife. Within the last couple of years, he has recently gained a significant amount of popularity, especially with younger women. On the contrary, many would argue that the male comedian does not support women, and the makeup community immediately addressed this. He consistently makes attempts to joke about domestic abuse and women’s reproductive organs, which are opposite ideologies that E.L.F. has publicly stood by. The company has since made a post supposedly apologizing for the ad, but has failed to take it down from their account.
On the other hand, American Eagle and Dunkin’ Donuts have both recently featured caucasian celebrities with blonde hair and blue eyes, with both ads unrelatedly talking about genes. NPR quotes that the American Eagle ad said, “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality, and even eye color. My jeans are blue….Sydney Sweeney has great jeans.” Even though the brand didn’t directly relate the words, there was an undeniable connection, leaving viewers wondering if there was a hint at pro-eugenics. Dunkin’ Donuts not only has this occurrence, but additionally, in 2013, a store in Thailand was advertising a charcoal donut. To promote the treat, they created a poster which was considered extreme blackface.
Whether they are indirect or very prevalent, rage-baiting tactics are reaching limits. On the contrary, some brands have realized their mistakes, such as Pearl Milling and Cracker Barrel, for example. Pearl Milling has undergone a rebranding process, having previously been known as “Aunt Jemima,” but faced accusations of racism, causing the new name and design. Cracker Barrel, on the other hand, had switched its logo to appeal to a younger demographic, and because there were some upset and deemed the original trademark as racist. But when they updated it, they faced a lot of backlash and a severe loss in revenue, which was roughly $100 million. Most were angered because they felt as though the company was losing its nostalgia and “homey” feel. To please its loyal fan base, it went back to its roots.
Regardless of the form, whether it’s clickbait, misinformation, or harmful stereotypes, it needs to end. Rage bait has become too familiar, and most don’t enjoy being angry or upset. It doesn’t matter what the engagement portion is. It consistently leads to negative results and a significant loss of fan base, and while some might say “it’s not that deep,” it definitely could be to another.