Kylie Jenner demonstrates why polarisation is not a campaign strategy

Attention at any price

According to the study Brand Safety in Social Media by Integral Ad Science (IAS), 33% of consumers would not buy a product if it appeared in an unsafe advertising environment. Nevertheless, many campaigns continue to rely on calculated provocation, often in the hope of viral effects.

As Meedia reports , Kylie Jenner celebrated her comeback as "King Kylie" with a music video. In it, she is taken away by police officers in her underwear and high heels, picked up by her mother Kris Jenner and then presents Kylie Cosmetics products.

The clip is polarizing, while fans celebrate the production, critics accuse her of cynicism. Particularly controversial: the video appears in the middle of a time of tightened migration policy and ICE raids in the USA, the prison scenario seems out of place. Just a few days earlier, Jenner had already been criticized for fleeing on a private jet during the Californian forest fires.

This ambivalence shows why provocation is not a sustainable branding tool. It can generate short-term reach, but in the long term it damages trust and brand image.

Why polarization endangers brands

What begins as a bold approach in the creative team can quickly be seen as cynical or tasteless by the public. In Jenner's case, this becomes clear: a self-confident comeback story becomes an advertising campaign on the back of social tensions. As soon as public perception shifts, the brand loses the power of interpretation and any reaction then seems like damage limitation instead of strategy.

Those who support polarizing influencers also risk a break in the relationship of trust with their own target group. In areas such as sustainability, diversity or purpose, any ambivalence is read as inconsistency. The damage is not only done at image level, but also economically: negative sentiment lowers the quality of engagement, algorithms reduce reach, partners and retailers become more cautious. Polarization does not increase performance, it only shifts attention in the short term at the expense of long-term credibility.

How brands can manage risks

Polarization cannot always be avoided, especially when brands work with creators who deliberately provoke or hold strong opinions. It is crucial to recognize risks early on, correctly classify developments and remain capable of acting.
This is precisely where the strength of data-driven influencer management comes into play: it replaces gut instinct with transparency, structure and context.

In the following, we look at three key aspects that brands can use to manage risks in influencer marketing in a targeted manner.

1. creator selection with context analysis: discovery

The foundation for control is already laid in the planning phase.
With IROIN® Discovery, brands can evaluate creators based on data, not only according to reach or demographics, but also based on qualitative factors such as topic relevance, tonality and community structure.

By evaluating post behavior, comment sentiment and interaction patterns, brands can identify which creators are active in social or political discourse and whether their attitude, language and thematic world are compatible with their own brand values. The module also allows brands to identify creators who are already active in suitable contexts or who communicate similar brand values of their own accord. This creates authentic approaches to cooperation before a campaign even starts.

An example illustrates this:
A fashion company is planning a sustainability campaign. The analysis in IROIN® Discovery shows that a creator with a large reach is regularly associated with fast fashion topics, while a smaller creator speaks credibly about fair production and consumption.
With this data, the brand makes an informed decision, for impact instead of risk.

Discovery not only provides names, but also creates clarity about contexts. It makes patterns visible that remain hidden at first glance and thus protects brands from unconscious reputational risks.

2. real-time monitoring & control: campaigning

Even with careful selection, a campaign can change dynamically - all it takes is a viral comment, a political statement or an external trend. The IROIN®Campaigning module ensures that brands are not taken by surprise, but can react before the situation changes.

Live data shows engagement and comment sentiment down to creator, post or campaign level. Teams can see immediately when sentiment changes or when certain topics in comments increase disproportionately.

Instead of reactively limiting the damage, the brand can actively intervene: Pause content, adjust messages or incorporate appropriate creator statements. Especially in sensitive phases, such as political or social issues, this creates transparency and certainty of action.

In this way, monitoring becomes a strategic early warning system, not an afterthought.

Many marketing teams still rely on intuition: "The creator feels right." But in the area of conflict between reach and risk, this is not enough. Truly sustainable campaign management requires measurable signals, not just a good feeling. The IROIN® Suite replaces assumptions with reliable data. Modules such as Discovery and Campaigning turn content emotion into a controllable, data-based variable. But its true potential unfolds in interaction with Relations, the social listening tool within Discovery.

Relations analyzes networks and connections between brands and creators. The system shows who has mentioned a brand, which competitors a creator interacts with and how mentions change over time. A relations report not only shows mentions, but also their type: organic, sponsored or commercial, thus making the context of brand communication transparent. You can see at a glance whether a creator appears in the context of critical topics, which brands they support or which communities are particularly active.

This type of social listening adds a new dimension to monitoring:
It not only measures performance, but perception. If mentions suddenly increase, discussions tilt or a creator is associated with a sensitive topic, brands can react before momentum turns into risk. Relations thus becomes a genuine early warning system in influencer marketing and a tool that makes trust measurable. Instead of just looking at short-term performance indicators, brands can use it to recognize how stable their relationships really are, where risks arise and where new opportunities for authentic collaborations lie.

Why this makes the difference

Brands that work based on data do not have to fear polarization, they can understand it.
Because those who recognize which topics are developing momentum can control how they are perceived.

Discovery enables brands to identify potential risks at an early stage and recognize which creators are active in sensitive topic areas. Relations expands this view by making networks and brand mentions visible, a social listening tool that shows who is talking about whom and in what context. And Campaigning allows brands to retain control when discussions pick up speed: Content can be paused, messages adjusted and reactions coordinated. This creates a data-based early warning system that enables brands to act with foresight instead of just reacting to crises.

Between reach and risk

Kylie Jenner's case shows how close attention and criticism are. What was staged as a self-confident comeback became a symbol of overestimation within hours and shows how fragile brand communication has become in the age of social dynamics.

For companies, this means that attention is not a goal, but a state that needs to be cultivated. Reach without context is worthless; trust is only created through responsibility.
Those who can read reactions instead of just counting them gain a deeper understanding of impact and resonance.

Polarization is not a strategy, it is a warning signal

Provocation can start conversations, but it is no substitute for brand management. In a public sphere where every statement has the potential to go viral, systems are needed to provide guidance. The IROIN® Influencer Marketing Suite combines all the tools to make responsibility scalable:

Discovery provides transparency in the selection process, Relations decodes relationship networks and brand mentions, Campaigning ensures agile control and real-time monitoring, making influencer marketing not a risk but a learning system. One that helps brands to use trust as a currency and secure relevance in the long term. Because in a digital world where every brand can be heard, what counts is not how loudly it speaks, but how responsible it sounds.