Features | Hussel Marketing's Controversial PR Stunts: How Lewis Ellis Leverages Feuds, Tattoos, and OnlyFans to Drive Attention

Lewis Ellis founded Hussel Marketing, a business built entirely around his bold, attention-grabbing personal brand. The company specializes in PR stunts, experiential marketing, and grabbing attention in "weird and wonderful ways". Lewis’s ability to generate massive visibility is demonstrated by his own personal, highly controversial projects that blur the line between personal revenge and calculated business strategy.

The Lord Sugar Feud and the Tattoo Revenge

The foundation of Lewis's unconventional marketing approach was laid during his public spat with Lord Sugar after The Apprentice. Following a task  where Lewis went shirtless to promote summertime in Finland, Lord Sugar publicly berated Lewis on X that Lewis's tattoos were "horrific". Initially, he responded that "No one has the right to judge you or your body".

Lord Sugar continued to press the issue, saying he has "the right to my opinion" and that Lewis would be an "embarrassment to your kids" when he’s 50 which he lewis found ultimately snide. Ultimately, he ended the argument with a perfectly blunt response: "Okay, boomer".

Following this situation, Lewis had a tattoo of Lord Sugar's face inked onto his bicep , calling it a piece of "revenge" , but more importantly, a PR stunt.

"I've got a marketing agency. I do PR stunts and publicity stunts, right? So, what can I do if I've got a guy give me tattoos or get a face picture of his...?"

This one act is a masterclass in how to turn criticism into a way to spread the word of yourself and your business.

The OnlyFans Decision and Business Necessity

Lewis views controversy as a tool to "grab attention and harness that and project it somewhere". This strategy was taken to the extreme during the COVID-19 pandemic. Having lost his job in 2020, he had "no way of surviving" or starting his business. Noting that "everyone set up only fans accounts," Lewis decided to do the same. He leveraged the "perception of the name Only Fans" to generate media attention.

The attention and income from the stunt actually allowed him to start his business and marketing activities. He closed the account after only a couple of months once he didn't need it anymore. Lewis uses these stunts to redirect people from the controversial story to his current work, asking: "So what is he doing now?". His job is to "grab attention in a very noisy world and power it through" to increase sales, views, or job applications.

Hustle Marketing's Unique Offering

Lewis describes his business as a reflection of himself. He focuses on unique specialisms and making his offering very different from competitors. The company takes on highly unconventional, attention-grabbing projects. For  example: a client campaign where he was asked to front a job advertisement for a "sex toy tester" and posed with a dildo on Instagram.

Lewis also mentioned an ambitious project where they flew a drone carrying cocktails to people's houses, requiring complex problem-solving around legal and logistical issues.

"I've built a business around the person I am, I think, because if I didn't, I wouldn't fit in anywhere."

The full episode is available now on The Aleksandra King YouTube Channel or read more about Lewis Ellis's time on The Apprentice and his business advice.

Published by Aleksandra King Media.