Nerd Alert: When Ads Make Us Cringe

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Marketing Architects

Episode: Nerd Alert: When Ads Make Us Cringe

Release Date: September 18, 2025
Hosts: Alena Jasper & Rob Mars

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Main Theme

This episode dives into the science behind "cringe" in advertising, exploring why certain awkward or embarrassing ads not only draw negative reactions, but also become viral discussion points. Using fresh marketing psychology research, the hosts break down how and why "cringe content" gets shared, what it means for brand reputation, and strategic implications for marketers.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. What Is "Cringe" in Advertising?

• Definition Clarified ([02:41]):
  • Cringe is a specific, vicarious embarrassment where viewers feel superior to the subject, thinking "I would never make that mistake."
  • Distinct from empathetic embarrassment, which involves feeling compassion for the person or brand.
  • Quote (Alena, 02:41):
    "The researchers argue it's a special kind of embarrassment. It's vicarious embarrassment... The key difference is that with empathetic embarrassment, you excuse the awkwardness. Maybe you feel for the person... But with cringe, you don't excuse it. You feel superior, and you think, I would never make that mistake."

2. The Power of Cringe: Research Highlights

The episode breaks down each study from a newly published paper:

• Study 1: Emotional Reactions and Sharing ([03:14])

  • When recalling awkward situations:
    • Empathetic embarrassment = compassion, unlikely to share.
    • Cringe = judgment, social savvy, high likelihood of sharing.
  • Finding: Cringe is strongly linked to word of mouth.

• Study 2: The Kendall Jenner Pepsi Ad ([03:47])

  • Analysis of 17,000+ Reddit mentions.
  • Cringeworthy protest ad generated far more discussion than polished Super Bowl ads, mainly negative but highly viral.

• Study 3: Influencer Posts ([04:12])

  • Positive post liked more.
  • Cringy post (obvious Photoshop fail) shared and discussed far more, generating negative buzz and attention.

• Study 4: Mommy Blogger Scenario ([04:49])

  • If the blogger acknowledged her bad singing → empathetic embarrassment (less sharing).
  • If she thought she was amazing (oblivious) → cringe (high sharing).
  • Demonstrates that sharing cringe is about displaying social awareness.

• Study 5: Social Comparison ([05:34])

  • Participants prone to comparing themselves to others are especially likely to share cringe content.

• Study 6: Brand Loyalty Effect ([05:54])

  • Weak brand connections = more likely to share a brand's cringe.
  • Strong brand loyalists avoid sharing, to protect their own identity.

3. Why Do We Share Cringe?

• Cringe content provides a way to demonstrate social savvy and superiority.
• Sharing is driven by the desire to show we “know better.”
• Rob's take ([06:14]):

  "People, unfortunately, I mean, social media has really shown that people love to see people screw up... It's like watching someone trip. You know, it's a shared experience."

4. Practical Takeaways for Marketers

([06:49]–[09:15])

• Awareness vs. Affection:

  • Cringe boosts visibility and conversation but doesn’t endear brands.
  • "Cringe drives awareness, but not affection." (Alena, 06:49)

• Brand Loyalists’ Behavior:

  • They often remain silent, not adding to the pile-on.

• Recovery Strategy:

  • If brands quickly own their cringe with humor, they can neutralize or flip the narrative.

• Being Ignored Is Worse:

  • Negative conversation is better than none—silence signals irrelevance.

• RobGPT Analogy ([07:15]):

  "Sharing cringe is like rubbernecking at a car accident. Nobody wants to be in it, but everybody wants to tell their friends what they saw."

5. Real-World Examples and Reflection

• The 1990s Mentos Campaign ([01:20]; [08:00])
  • Widely mocked, but sales tripled.
  • "It worked. The cringe works." (Alena, 08:09)
• Cracker Barrel Logo Controversy ([08:24])
  • Example of a brand facing public mockery, fueling conversation even when most don't care passionately about the brand.
• Oatley Singing Ad, Foo Fighters, SNL, and More
  • Illustrate the blurry line between "so bad it's good" and real brand harm.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Alena (02:41):

  "With cringe, you don't excuse it. You feel superior, and you think, I would never make that mistake. And that sense of superiority is what makes people want to share it."

• Rob (06:14):

  "People love to see people screw up. A cringeworthy ad is just something that we all love to like. Oh my gosh, look at that. It's like watching someone trip."

• Alena (06:49):

  "Cringe drives awareness, but not affection. So if you make some cringeworthy advertising people will share it, but they won't like you more for it."

• RobGPT Segment (07:15):

  "Sharing cringe is like rubbernecking at a car accident. Nobody wants to be in it, but everybody wants to tell their friends what they saw."

• Alena (08:09):

  "It worked. The cringe works."

• Rob (09:15):

  "It's very easy to... make people outraged than make them appreciate your great advertising. So a little bit of cringe is probably not a bad thing, but you don't want it to go into, like, really negative cringe territory either."

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:47 – Introduction to cringe research.
• 02:41 – Defining cringe vs. empathetic embarrassment.
• 03:14 – First study: Why cringe is shared.
• 03:47 – Second study: The Pepsi protest ad and viral negativity.
• 04:12 – Third study: Influencer cringe vs. positive content.
• 04:49 – Fourth study: Mommy blogger experiment.
• 05:34 – Fifth study: Social comparison and share-proneness.
• 05:54 – Sixth study: Brand loyalty’s moderating effect.
• 06:14 – Social psychology of cringe sharing.
• 06:49 – Marketer takeaways.
• 07:15 – RobGPT analogy: Rubbernecking and cringe.
• 08:00 – Real campaign example: Mentos.
• 08:24 – Cracker Barrel and logo mockery.
• 09:15 – Brand outrage vs. admiration.

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Tone and Style

Playful and self-deprecating ("Nerd Alert," "my nerd pun openers are more cringe worthy than anything"), the hosts keep the episode light and humorous, while anchoring all discussions in rigorous research and practical insights for marketers.

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Conclusion

Cringe in advertising provokes mockery and judgment, fueling virality and brand awareness—often at the expense of brand affection. Marketers are reminded that while a dose of cringe can spark conversation, it's a risky lever. The better strategy? Own any blunders quickly, use humor if possible, and remember: being ignored is the worst fate in modern marketing.

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Transcript

[A]

Nerd Alert. Learning is important, right?

[B]

Yes, exactly. But a bunch of nerds.

[A]

Nerd alert.

[B]

Marketing Architects. Hello and welcome to the Marketing Architects, a research first podcast dedicated to answering your toughest marketing questions. I'm Alena Jasper. I run the marketing team here at Marketing Architects. And I'm joined by my co host, Rob Mars, the chief product architect of misfits and machines.

[A]

Howdy.

[B]

Hello. We're back with your weekly Nerd Alert. Every week, I'll take a deep dive into academic marketing research and translate its complex ideas into simple, understandable language for Rob, and of course, for all of you. Are you ready to nerd out, Rob?

[A]

Today's episode is brought to you by Nerd Crunch cereal. It's Nerdalicious Selena, back to you.

[B]

All right, let's get into it.

[A]

Can we get a sponsor? Wouldn't that be great? I'd love to really actually have a sponsor.

[B]

Marketing Architects is the sponsor, Rob.

[A]

That's true. That's true.

[B]

That's the only reason why this podcast is still around is because we're our own sponsor. Okay, let's get into it. As always, we'll link the research we cover in the episode notes. This week I read a study titled that's so Understanding what Cringe Is and why We Want to Share It. This is by Brianna Esko, Nathaniel Martin and Anthony Salerno. Published in the Journal of marketing research in 2025. Just this year. This is a fresh one.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

But before we get too far, Rob, I wanted to ask you this. What is the cringiest ad you've ever seen?

[A]

Oh, I have. Not just an ad, but a whole campaign. Back in the 90s, before you were born. Mentos. Right, Mentos. The Fresh Maker campaign. It was this whole series of ads where they were very campy and they showed people getting out of situations because they were clever, but they somehow had their Mentos with them and they were so bad that, like, SNL did a whole parody on them. The Foo Fighters, they did a parody within one of their videos. Again, this was a long time ago, but it was actually an international campaign. It started off in Europe and South America and instead of changing them for the US audience, they just ran them in the US So it just didn't translate well. And yeah, so funny campaign. Look it up. Little history class. Yeah, you still remember Mentos Fresh Maker.

[B]

Must be very cringe.

[A]

Oh, they were so bad. They were good.

[B]

I think that the, like, Kendall Jenner Pepsi ad is like a easy, low hanging fruit.

[A]

Oh, yeah, for sure.

[B]

I was also thinking of And I think you like these ads. Do you remember? I think it was Oatley. They had an ad.

[A]

Oh, yeah.

[B]

Where they were singing. Remember that? With the.

[A]

Loved it.

[B]

Okay, you loved it. But I think there was a little bit of a cringe reaction to that.

[A]

If I remember clearly, I. I like Campy.

[B]

Yeah, you didn't find that cringe, but some people did. All right, well, let's start by making sure we all understand the definition of cringe, because it's not just embarrassment. The researchers argue it's a special kind of embarrassment. It's vicarious embarrassment. So what happens when you see someone or maybe a brand try to impress others, but they do it in an awkward and inexcusable way? The key difference is that with empathetic embarrassment, you excuse the awkwardness. Maybe you feel for the person. You might think, man, that could have been me. But with cringe, you don't excuse it. You feel superior, and you think, I would never make that mistake. And that sense of superiority is what makes people want to share it. So in this first study, participants are asked to recall a time they had felt either empathetic embarrassment or cringe. So both these groups, they remembered awkward situations, but their reactions were very different. People in the empathetic embarrassment condition reported more compassion for the person. People in the cringe condition felt less compassion, more judgment, and more social savvy. And importantly, they were more likely to say that they'd share the story with others. So right away, the researchers showed that cringe is linked to word of mouth. Then the second study, they turned to the infamous Kendall Jenner Pepsi ad, and they looked at more than 17,000 Reddit posts, which their brains were probably mush by the end of them doing that. What they found was that Pepsi's cringeworthy protest ad generated far more discussion and than their polished, expensive super bowl ads. And people were not praising the brand, they were mocking it. But the sheer volume of sharing proved the point. Cringe content spreads. Then they did a third study, and this time they looked at influencers. Participants saw positive influencer posts, say an aspiring travel photo or a cringy one where the influencer was clearly caught Photoshopping themselves into a fake scene. The positive post was liked more, but the cringy post was shared more. And when participants discussed the posts in a chat room, the cringe one generated more negative language but also more conversation overall. So, in other words, cringe content may hurt attitudes, but it fuels attention and sharing. Then in a fourth study, they showed people a mommy blogger who got up on stage at her kids Christmas concert and sang off key. In one version of the story, she admits, I'm not a great singer. And that made the participants feel empathetic embarrassment. In the other version, she thought she was a star of the show. She was completely oblivious to how bad she sounded. And that one did trigger some cringe. And it was only in the cringe condition that people wanted to share the experience. The study also proved the underlying driver wasn't just novelty or weirdness. It was this sense of social savviness. Sharing cringe lets people demonstrate they know better. Two more studies. Study five, the participants saw ads for Mr. Clean. Some were simply bad ads, but others were cringeworthy in a way that made the brand look socially tone deaf. Then participants filled out a scale measuring how prone they were to comparing themselves to others. And the results showed that people high in social comparison were especially likely to share the cringeworthy ads. So not everyone shares cringe equally. It's strongest for those who like to measure themselves against others. Finally, our last study, Study 6, they looked at how brand loyalty changes things. So what people did was they read a neutral Tesla article or a cringeworthy one where Elon Musk made some awkward comments. Those who felt a weak connection to Tesla were quick to share the cringe, but those with a strong tie to the brand were less likely to share. They didn't want to call attention to something that would make them look bad too. So this shows that cringe spreads the most when the brand isn't a big part of someone's identity. So, Rob, why do you think that cringe gets more traction, more sharing than just genuinely good advertising?

[A]

People, unfortunately, I mean, social media has really shown that people love to see people screw up. And a cringeworthy ad is just something that we all love to like. Oh my gosh, look at that. It's like watching someone trip. You know, it's a shared experience. Like we're in it together, we see this ads together. Oh my gosh, did you see that ad? Versus it's so hard to create an ad that goes viral that everybody just loves. Right? But if you want to make a viral ad with something that completely went wrong in it, that's a lot easier to make. I think in some ways, yeah.

[B]

Easier to get people outraged than sharing an ad because it's so good. Yeah, it's definitely hard to do. So what should marketers take away from this study? First of all, cringe drives awareness, but not affection. So if you make some cringe worthy Advertising people will share it, but they won't like you more for it. Maybe you don't care about that. Second, loyalists won't pile on. They'll often stay quiet to protect their own identity. And third, recovery matters. If you own the cringe quickly and with humor, you can flip the disaster. And finally, silence is worse. Being ignored is the real danger. If people are sharing your ad, even negatively, you're at least in the conversation. Time for a robgpt. Sharing cringe is like rubbernecking at a car accident. Nobody wants to be in it, but everybody wants to tell their friends what they saw. For brands, that means cringe isn't the end of the world, but it's not really a strategy either. What do you think?

[A]

Hey, my nerd pun openers are more cringe worthy than anything, so I'm going to double down.

[B]

No, I don't know if that was the takeaway, but I mean, there's something to. Yeah, you're putting yourself out there, like sometimes risking embarrassment, but that's going to be shared a lot more. It's going to raise your awareness. But yeah, probably a risky strategy to bring back.

[A]

Interestingly enough, the Mentos campaign that I referenced from the 90s. It actually tripled their sales.

[B]

There you go.

[A]

So it was, you know, so it's just.

[B]

It worked. The cringe works.

[A]

Yeah. It wasn't intentional because you know how stuff gets lost in translation when you air it in different countries. But it just probably was remarkable enough in terms of standing out. That cringe helps you stand out.

[B]

I almost think, I wonder if this Cracker Barrel logo drama is a bit of cringe because I can imagine people looking at that saying, you don't really have empathetic embarrassment for them. It's more of, I wouldn't have done that. Everyone likes to come out and say, I would never change a logo like that. So maybe that's an example and we'll have to see how their sales do after this.

[A]

Yeah, I mean, it was a cringe worthy logo to begin with. Have you ever ate a Crackle Barrel, Elena?

[B]

I have. Yes.

[A]

Every once. Exactly once. I love how people get so outraged over a brand that nobody cares about, but yes.

[B]

Oh my gosh. Yeah, I wasn't too impressed by a. By the cracker Barrel, but yeah, we can get. I guess the lesson is it's very easy to. It's easier to make people outraged than make them appreciate your great advertising. So a little bit of cringe is probably not a bad thing, but you don't want it to go into, like, really negative cringe territory either.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I just love that there was a study about cringe.

[A]

Me, too.

[B]

It's fun.

[A]

What else can you. We can study everything, right?

[B]

It's true. That's it for this episode of the Marketing Architects. We'd like to thank Taylor Delos Reyes for producing the show. You can connect with us on LinkedIn. And if you like the podcast, please leave us a review. Now go forth and build great marketing Marketing Architects.