How to Polarize in the Attention Economy (Without Destroying Your Brand)

We live in an age where attention is the scarcest resource. Platforms reward engagement, and nothing drives engagement like strong emotion. Emotional triggers like outrage, humor, and identity move through culture faster than safe, balanced messaging ever can.

That’s why some of the fastest-scaling modern brands lean into polarization. They understand that in the attention economy, if you’re neutral, you’re invisible. You have to stoke a little controversy to stand out.

But here’s the tension: Done right, polarization builds cultural relevance and distinctiveness. Done wrong, it can erode trust, alienate your core audience, or ignite backlash you can’t control.

Think of it like fire: powerful when contained but destructive when uncontrolled.

So how do you polarize thoughtfully? Here are the 4 principles I share with founders.

1. Take risks with creativity, not credibility

Push the edges on design and humour, never on trust. People will laugh at your jokes and argue about your look — but they’ll walk away the moment they doubt your safety.

Liquid Death will “murder your thirst” with water in tallboy cans that look a lot like beer. It’s a distinctive brand asset (better described as a hook asset) that divides. People dismiss it as ridiculous, or champion it like a movement. The debate is the marketing.

Bold design, tone of voice, or category stance is a great way of attracting attention without sacrificing credibility. Misleading marketing or exaggerated health claims, on the other hand, are a great way to attract regulatory scrutiny.

2. Pick the Right Enemy

Polarization works best when you define an “enemy” that reinforces your value. 

Oatly didn’t just launch oat milk, they declared war on Big Dairy. Their bold ads (“It’s like milk, but made for humans”) positioned them as the irreverent challenger. Polarizing? Yes. But by aiming at a giant incumbent, they created a rallying cry for their fans without risking trust.

Inertia, boring incumbents, or outdated categories make great enemies. Your own customers or sensitive cultural identities do not.

3. Be Meme-Adaptable, Not Meme-Dependent

Polarization feeds meme culture. The key is to design distinct brand assets (mascots, packaging quirks, taglines) that people can remix playfully. 

On TikTok, the Duolingo owl became a meme machine. Their social team leaned into chaos, turning a language app into a cultural presence. Some people found it unhinged, others loved it, but either way, Duo became unignorable.

Encourage parody, embrace the in-jokes, and ride cultural waves. Attention fades if you can’t anchor it to something distinct.

4. Stay True to Your Core Values

Don’t manufacture controversy, magnify your DNA. Ben & Jerry’s can be politically polarizing because activism has always been part of their brand. Patagonia’s activism works because it’s authentically aligns with its mission.

When Patagonia put “Don’t Buy This Jacket” in a New York Times ad, critics called it hypocritical. But because environmental stewardship is baked into their brand DNA, the message deepened loyalty among core fans. It divided opinions without eroding trust.

The attention economy rewards the bold. If you play it too safe, you fade into the scroll. 

But if you’re careless, you risk burning your credibility.

The art is in finding the sweet spot of sparking conversation, driving memes, and energizing fans while keeping your core trust and reputation intact.

Because in the end, the most valuable brands aren’t just the most visible. They’re the ones that are trusted enough to be chosen, again and again, even after the viral moment fades.