Joelle Longo
Mrs. Milboer
Advanced Placement English 3
27 May 2013

This Is The New *hit:
The Antichrist Superstar – Marketing Genius?

He has the growl of a man and a physique of a woman, and has been creating controversy since the dawn of his music career in the early 1990s. His name is Brian Hugh Warner, famously known as Marilyn Manson. It is an understatement to say that Manson is a little out of the ordinary. With pungent assertions and eerie esthetics, Manson has created a loyal fan base and a legacy that will last him years to come. Why is Marilyn Manson as popular as he is, and how did he do it? Marilyn Manson uses cacophonous diction, grotesque imagery, guilt by association, and reverse psychology to attract listeners. Accordingly, in order to gain popularity, one must “spread the word” about himself/herself. Companies that want their products consumed will invest in televised commercials. Manson and advertisers from MTV's TRL did the same when promoting Manson's appearance on the show. Manson's persona was represented in the diction of the commercial. Harsh, “in-your-face”, cacophonous diction was used in the commercial with the narration of “Marilyn Manson wants to crash the party, by limo, by tank, by helicopter, who knows...” (“Marilyn Manson TRL Promo”). The uses of the words crash and tank are very harsh-sounding words, yet match Manson's persona. The word choice makes the commercial more attention-grabbing, and may make the listeners wonder who this certain person is, forcing them to want to watch Manson, and invest in his “product”.

Fig 1 et 2. Manson's commercial for his appearance on the MTV's TRL (“Marilyn Manson TRL Promo”). Also, the commercial lists several exaggerations that do not sound ordinary in a commercial. The final statement in the commercial is, “After this homecoming, town square will never be the same again”, there is an obvious exaggeration that is hard to miss. While hearing this the reader may think, “Wow, who is this guy? What is he about?”. The curiosity brings attention to Marilyn Manson. Although it is said that curiosity “killed the cat”, in this case, curiosity “thrilled the cat”. Psychology suggests that curiosity may attract people to certain ideas or products, and that uncertainty is enough to drive themselves towards a product (Newman). People do not know what to expect with Manson's extreme behavior, their curiosity is enough to bring themselves towards him. Imagery is another factor in Marilyn Manson's advertisements. The advertisements have very grotesque, dark, and gothic images. It may remind one of horror films that he/she have seen. This guilt by association may persuade the listeners into contributing to Manson's product, which in this case is a sweepstakes to meet Manson (Qualtrough). Although dark images are typically associated with evil (hell, horror, dismay), horror movies are usually positive to some eyes. Horror movies do present dark images but still have an entertaining and shocking quality that people can enjoy. This commercial is similar in that dark images are present but still has an entertaining quality. The association is clear in that if one likes horror movies, they may like Marilyn Manson.

Fig 3. Commercial for a sweepstakes to meet Marilyn Manson with an eerie color scheme (Qualtrough). Additionally, the use of dark colors heightens the advertisement. Manson is a dark individual, therefore it is not a surprise that dark colors are used in his print ads. In a print ad advertising Marilyn Manson's upcoming tour with Alice Cooper, the only colors used are black and white(Alice Cooper / Marilyn Manson 2013 Tour). Although black could have been easily contrasted with other dark colors, the simple use of black and white provides clarity and a sense of impertinence to the ad (Frangs). Readers can easily see what is said without being distracted with funky colors. The sense of impertinence adds to the persuasiveness of the ad because if something is important and must be obtained, a consumer might have the impression that the product must be consumed.

Fig 4. Alice Cooper and Marilyn Manson tour 2013 poster ad

Moreover, it is nice to know how Manson became so popular, but why is he so popular? Manson uses reverse psychology to ultimately sell his product, which is himself, and his music. For example, little children are told all the time to stray away from things, to try and instruct them not to perform certain behavior. A parent could tell his/her child to not touch the stove, because it is hot. The child has no prior experience as to why not to touch the stove, so the desire remains, to touch the stove, despite being told not to. Therefore, the desire is actually amplified. It takes experience for the child to realize the true adversity in touching hot stoves. In society, citizens are taught what are good, and what are evil. They are taught what to strive for, and what to stray away from. Marilyn Manson provides an image that goes against what society considers to be “good” and “moral”. Yet, just like a child, the desire for him is greater. The reason why Marilyn Manson attracts the fans that he has is because of the fact that he goes against the grain of a “moral” human being. He calls himself the “Antichrist Superstar”- a title that many religious people would agree is controversial because religious people are told not to go against their religion. The media has reported to stray away from Manson, because he is a bad influence. But being told not to listen to Manson only heightens the curiosity and want to explore who he is, thus the reverse psychology is successful (PsyBlog). Being told not to do something makes the want grow stronger due to the thrill of rebellion, and the expression of freedom. American society’s that have showcased rebellion are show cased throughout history, it's how the country gained its independence. However, this shows that society is susceptible to breaking points of rebellion when overly instructed. If the Guilt by Association of a product is negative, that might be enough for a person to be turned off. But if a persistent disapproval of a product is present too much in society, that will be the driving force to actually attract consumption to the product. Words and colors play a huge factor in associations, whatever a person first thinks of when seeing an advertisement, judgments will be made. Society is quick to judge when it comes to consumption, yet advertisers use words and colors to easily fool. All in all, Marilyn Manson's success derives from his use of harsh diction, dark imagery, and reverse psychology which heavily works in his advantage. Although most think that Marilyn Manson uses his controversial message to heavily influence others to cause harm in society, the message is quite different. Marilyn Manson asks others to not rebel physically by causing harm, but to rebel mentally and to question the society that they live in. He wants others to question what they were always told, and to truly decipher what are good, and what are evil.

Works Cited

Alice Cooper / Marilyn Manson 2013 Tour. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 May 2013.
Frangs, Lindsay. "The Psychology of Color in Logo Design." Weblog post.Creativeblox Design Studio. Creativeblox.com, 2007. Web. 27 May 2013. >.
“Marilyn Manson TRL Promo.” Online video clip. YouTube. Youtube, 17 August 2009. Web. 27 May 2013. . Newman, Kira. "AMERICAN.COM." Curiosity Thrilled the Cat — The American Magazine. 21 Jan. 2011. 27 May 2013 .
PsyBlog. "When Does Reverse Psychology Work?" Weblog post. PsyBlog RSS. N.p., 28 June 2012. Web. 27 May 2013.