Obviously. For obscure brands, the first problem to solve is being unknown. It is much better to be hated than to be ignored.

For well-established brands, it may be less true: I guess Shell and Total would prefer no publicity related to oil spills.

But even then, bad publicity can have good outcome. I know from personal relations about a brand that has been under fire on Facebook and blogs: the amount of clients did actually increase during and after the hit.