Marketing campaigns are a useful tool in promoting brands, products, and services with great success. However, there have been instances of major mistakes from even the most well-known brands, showcasing just how important it is to get the message across successfully.
The popularity of social media and the internet now means that brand failures are more widespread and well-known than ever before.
Big brand fails
McDonald’s spent over 100 million dollars on marketing its adult-only burger in an attempt to entice a more sophisticated customer. The campaign featured an advertisement showing kids’ disgust at the new burger with mustard-mayo sauce. However, it appears that even adults prefer a regular Big Mac, and the campaign and product were a complete flop.
Tropicana faced an abrupt 20% drop in sales with its redesigned packaging. The motto “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” could have been used in hindsight. The redesign was later scrapped.
Pepsi and celebrity ambassador Kendall Jenner received harsh backlash when an advertisement was accused of making light of racism. This demonstrated the importance of diversity and cultural considerations when making advertising decisions. According to Business News Daily, the issues of inclusivity, negative stereotypes, world disasters, complex social justice issues and more, should be considered when curating campaigns
Gap was forced almost immediately to reverse their rebrand of a new take on its famous navy square and white font design. There was a massive backlash on social media and international negative feedback.
Where to go for Advice
Marketing campaigns can be costly and it’s always a good idea to consult a specialist brand strategy agency for advice. Really Helpful Marketing shows numerous ways in which a brand strategy agency can assist with marketing, including marketing plans that help businesses successfully deliver their business objectives.
A tarnished reputation from an ill-thought-out marketing campaign is a difficult smear to remove and a costly mistake to make. Whilst marketing can be a hugely successful tool, it is important that it is done right, with a high level of input from experts in the field.