15/09/2026
Hype can make a brand famous. But controversy doesn’t automatically make it good marketing.
Balenciaga became one of fashion’s strongest examples of marketing through provocation. For years, the brand turned the unexpected, uncomfortable and sometimes absurd into a communication language people couldn’t ignore.
But its controversial 2022 campaign involving children holding teddy-bear bags styled with bondage-inspired accessories showed where that strategy can fail. The backlash was enormous; Balenciaga removed the campaign and apologized, while then-creative director Demna called it a “wrong artistic choice.”
What makes the case even more interesting today is how Balenciaga has changed. Under creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli, its 2026 communication is noticeably more human and cinematic. The current A New York Minute campaign, directed by filmmaker Celine Song and starring Sarah Pidgeon, turns ordinary Manhattan moments into three carefully staged one-minute films.
Yet the fundamental strength of Balenciaga’s marketing remains the same: it creates a point of view strong enough to make people stop, react and talk.
That is the real power of hype marketing — not controversy for controversy’s sake, but the ability to become part of the cultural conversation.
Creativity should push boundaries. But the strongest brands know which boundaries should never be crossed.
What do you think — where is the line between provocative marketing and going too far?
