What happens when promoted ads miss their mark?

Bailey Barquin
Sep 1, 2018 · 2 min read
Image from https://mashable.com/article/ernie-keebler-cookies-twitter-account/#C.TUbu2QNmqN

It can be hard for brands to venture into the world of social media, but with a majority of consumers utilizing social media platforms it is a necessary part of marketing. However, in an attempt to reach more of their targeted audience, what happens when promoted ads miss their mark?

The Keebler elf, for example, is an instantly recognizable face of the Keebler brand, but Keebler missed the mark somewhere while trying to appeal to a Spanish speaking demographic with their ads on Twitter. The advertisements, that were completely in Spanish, were being promoted to users that only spoke English. The users recognized the iconic Keebler elf, but could not read the actual message of the advertisements. Copious users even shared their confusion about the promoted ads on Twitter.

It is evident this was not a successful promoted advertisement, but is that Keebler’s fault or Twitter’s? If it is Keebler’s fault than other brands can use this mishap as a lesson to make sure their research and data is accurate before putting money into a paid promotion. But if it is Twitter’s fault that the ad was promoted to the wrong target audience, then this could discourage brands from partnering with Twitter for paid advertisements in the future. It calls the validity and trustworthiness of the way Twitter promotes ads into question.

When promoted ads miss their mark, it makes all parties involved look bad. In today’s digital advertising world, accuracy matters. Brands want to be sure that the advertisements they are putting money into are going to reach their intended target

Original article from Mashable:

https://mashable.com/article/ernie-keebler-cookies-twitter-account/#C.TUbu2QNmqN

Bailey Barquin
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