The other day, I was reading about what’s called “Anger Marketing” — a real, though controversial, strategy that belongs to the broader category of emotional marketing: an approach that triggers emotion to increase engagement, attention, and ultimately, sales.

It’s a technique where a brand or creator intentionally provokes anger or indignation in its audience.
How? By exposing a social injustice, by challenging a widely accepted mindset, or by creating a symbolic “enemy.”;

The goals?

To attract attention through strong emotional stimulation

To spark conversation around the brand

To create a sense of identification with an audience that feels “awakened”

Anger, after all, is one of the most activating emotions — it triggers our reactions so quickly that, before we even realize what we’re feeling, we’ve already responded.

In the digital world, this has immense power:

Anger skyrockets engagement (likes, comments, reposts).

It often leads to virality — not because the content is “right,” but because it’s “provocative.”

And that’s when I started to wonder:

Why is anger so effective?

Perhaps because it’s so difficult to manage — especially when it’s being directed somewhere other than where it truly belongs.

When Anger Is Misplaced

According to psychoanalytic theory, anger often manifests through a mechanism known as displacement.
To recall Nancy McWilliams’ definition (Psychoanalytic Diagnosis, 2012):

“Displacement is the redirection of an impulse, emotion, or concern from its original object to another, because the original direction evokes anxiety for some reason.”

How does this translate into everyday life?

I may be angry at my employer for violating my rights — but take it out by posting bitter comments toward a stranger online.

I may carry years of anger from childhood experiences — and become cynical or cutting without obvious reason.

I may suppress my anger about the things I don’t do for myself — and end up being harsh toward others.

In this way, anger loses its power as a tool for change, and instead becomes a wound that keeps bleeding — both outwardly and inwardly.

Have We Learned to Face Our Anger?

Have we really learned to look our anger in the eye?
Or are we afraid of it?

Perhaps anger is our self’s way of shouting:
“Something here isn’t right.”
And instead of listening, we throw that voice outward — at the first available target, the keyboard, the street, our home, ourselves.

Conscious processing of anger — accepting and understanding it — is an act of responsibility, self-awareness, and protection, both for ourselves and for others.

Epilogue: What Do We Choose to Amplify?

Anger marketing, like any strategy that touches our wounds, is powerful precisely because it’s built on truth — the truth that we often feel angry, helpless, ignored, or oppressed.

The question is:
Do we want to keep perpetuating the cycle of anger?
Or is it time to give ourselves space to see it, understand it, and maybe break that cycle?

Sometimes, the greatest “engagement” we can strive for is the one with ourselves.

NOTE: The texts I share here are for educational purposes only and should never replace medical or psychotherapeutic guidance.
If you find it difficult to manage your anger, please seek support from a qualified mental health professional.