How companies can turn insults into assets

New research by Professor Keisha Cutright reveals how brands that reclaim unfair insults with confidence and humor can win over consumers

Last Updated: Jan 12, 2026, 17:32 IST3 min

New

The findings provide guidance for brand managers navigating a climate of constant digital feedback. Photo by Shutterstock

Join Us On

Facebook Twitter Instagram Linkedin Spotify YouTube

In 2019, the Carolina Hurricanes hockey team was criticized on national television for their exuberant, choreographed postgame celebrations. A commentator sneered that they were “a bunch of jerks.” Rather than retreat, the team leaned in, printing 'Bunch of Jerks' on T-shirts and selling nearly $875,000 worth of merchandise within days, according to their CMO.

Reclaiming the label

Reappropriation, the authors explain, is when a brand intentionally uses a negative label imposed on it by others. By echoing the insult in their own messaging or merchandise, brands signal they're unfazed and self-assured. Unlike social movements where marginalized groups reclaim derogatory language to take back power, brands use reappropriation to demonstrate confidence when facing public scrutiny.

“Brands don’t need to take back power,” Cutright explained. “What they can do is show that they’re confident enough not to let an unfair jab shake them.”

Real-world examples abound. A North Carolina restaurant was once accused in a one-star review of “satanic activity” for enforcing a mask mandate. The owner printed the phrase on a T-shirt and sold thousands of dollars’ worth of merchandise, all while drawing laughs and social media buzz.

These cases highlight a pattern: when insults are clearly unwarranted and lighthearted, reappropriation can spark engagement and even drive sales.

Also Read: How attention economy is re-shaping marketing

Testing how reappropriation works

To test their ideas, the researchers conducted a series of experiments measuring how consumers react to reappropriation compared to other common responses like denial, apology, or silence.

In one Facebook ad test with nearly 28,000 impressions, an electronics store called 'an out-of-date, birdbrain of a store' saw a 27% higher click-through rate when it reappropriated the insult rather than denying it.

Similar results emerged across multiple studies featuring different brands and insults.

“People like brands that don’t take themselves too seriously,” Cutright said. “When a company laughs with its critics, it sends the message that it knows who it is. That kind of composure earns respect.”

Knowing when not to play along

Still, the research cautions that reappropriation is not a one-size-fits-all strategy. Reappropriation only works for benign, unjustified insults; when criticism seems warranted, like after a serious product failure, or touches on a moral issue, like sexism, the strategy backfires.

“If a brand jokingly called itself ‘sexist,’ people would likely find that inappropriate no matter how unfair the insult,” Cutright said.

The source of the insult matters, too. One study tested whether participants react differently when a brand reappropriates rude comments from either a young man or an elderly woman. When brands reappropriated the insult from the elderly woman, observers felt the brand was behaving like a bully.

“Humor depends on tone and context,” Cutright noted. “If the joke makes someone look mean-spirited, the brand loses the warmth that makes reappropriation work in the first place.”

Lessons for marketers

The findings provide guidance for brand managers navigating a climate of constant digital feedback. Reappropriation works best when insults are unwarranted and harmless—the kind of jab that invites a witty comeback rather than a corporate statement.

When executed well, the approach can boost engagement metrics like click-throughs, social media comments, and even purchase intentions.

Cutright says the results highlight an evolving expectation in consumer culture: people reward brands that feel human, resilient, and playful under pressure.

“When a brand can turn a negative into a laugh,” she said, “it reminds us that confidence doesn’t always have to be loud or defensive—it can be funny, graceful, and self-aware.”

This article has been reproduced with permission from Duke University's Fuqua School of Business. This piece originally appeared on Duke Fuqua Insights

First Published: Jan 12, 2026, 17:41

Subscribe Now