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Do you reckon all brand ads hit the mark? Not quite. Some are total flops. Plenty of companies have had their fair share of marketing fails while trying to make a splash, and they’ve ended up facing public backlash.
Ads play a pivotal role in engaging your target audience, but in today’s world, where inclusivity counts, it’s crucial to tread carefully with ad concepts.
Some brands overlook this and wind up on the wrong side of marketing mishaps. Mistakes happen, but some are tough to bounce back from.
Some years ago, Dove, a prestigious personal care brand, launched a campaign promoting a soap from its whitening line. The idea was to show inclusivity, but social media users quickly labeled it as racist. The ad featured a woman of color removing a dark shirt and transforming into a white woman. Dove apologized, but the damage was done as the images had already spread. This isn’t the first time Dove has faced accusations of racism, similar to an incident in 2011.
In 2012, Ikea, famous for its campaigns, slipped up. It overlooked a crucial aspect of advertising: understanding local culture and doing market research before launching. In Saudi Arabia, it had to remove women from its catalog for not following dress codes, sparking criticism. The company admitted it contradicted its values.
Melegatti is an Italian company known for its production of traditional pastries. In 2015, they landed in hot water with a somewhat homophobic ad. The image was depicting bare feet and hands reaching for a croissant under the sheets. Accompanying this photo was the phrase: “Love your neighbor as yourself… as long as they’re cool and of the opposite sex!” The blunder is obvious, and a historic company like Melegatti shouldn’t afford such “slip-ups.”
Protein World faced backlash for its “Are you beach body ready?” campaign, featuring a slim woman and their products. Critics accused the company of promoting unrealistic beauty standards. In response, London’s mayos initiated a campaign to ban such advertisements, citing concerns about reinforcing stereotypes of women’s beauty.
Everyone’s seen a McDonald’s ad, right? They’re everywhere, but not all are winners. Take “Tamale is a thing of the past,” promoted in Mexico. It understandably upset Mexicans, as it’s their traditional food. McDonald’s Mexico launched the campaign on “Candlemas Day” to introduce McBurritos, labeled as “packed Mexican-style.” Predictably, the campaign faced backlash, leading to its withdrawal and an apology.
One major advertising blunder is assuming or stereotyping people based on their jobs. Samsung made this mistake promoting its new external unit. The ad featured an executive, a tech-savvy young man, and a woman using a laptop to help her kids with homework. The issue? The woman was portrayed as unable to understand the device, sparking criticism for implying homemakers can’t handle technology.
To promote their jewelry for Christmas 2017, Pandora covered Italian cities with billboards posing the question: “An iron, pajamas, an apron, a Pandora bracelet. What do you think would make her happy?” This sparked outrage, particularly when a non-profit advocating for women’s roles shared an image of one billboard in Milan’s Duomo metro station. Pandora later apologized, saying they were trying to playfully wink at stereotypes. Lesson learned: irony can backfire, putting you on the list of marketing disasters.
Even the prestigious Versace found itself in hot water with a controversial campaign. In what seems like a simple photo featuring model Gigi Hadid and a representation of a family, there’s an African American girl holding onto her stroller with chains. Users quickly criticized the image, likening it to slavery. As a result, the campaign was branded as racist.
Joining the list of marketing fails is Hershey’s Mexico with “Doing good taste good.” Launched in 2018, the campaign features various influencers in the country giving chocolate to workers and vulnerable people. However, social media users criticized the action as classist. Hershey’s quickly pulled the campaign and apologized to its audience, stating that the intention was to “inspire empathy in our consumers through good deeds that have a positive impact on our community.” They also expressed regret for not being able to “deliver the message in the right way.”
Launching advertising messages during times of crisis is a real gamble, especially if you fail to show empathy and solidarity. It seems the brand American Apparel didn’t think about this and just focused on boosting sales. In 2012, they ran a promotion offering a 20% discount on all their products. The catch? It coincided with Hurricane Sandy hitting the East Coast of the United States. Not to mention that they named the promotion, which lasted only 36 hours, SANDYSALE.
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