12 Months of Dark Marketing Fails 2015 Recap
Things got ugly with marketing fails in 2015. Customers were outraged and brand reputations set ablaze with the stinking smell of rotten marketing. Marketing can take a turn for the worse in no time. Don’t believe it? Just take a look at some of the biggest marketing fails of 2015 that called the integrity of leading businesses and brands into question.
Here’s 12 months of dark marketing fails 2015 — the recap:
January — Seahawks Football Quotes MLK
Is it in bad taste to compare your struggles throughout the football season to the civil rights movement?
When you’re making millions of dollars in the process, the crowds scream, YES! Lesson learned for the Seahawks on the proper time to quote Dr. King.
February — Coca-Cola Mein Kampf #MakeItHappy
Your goal, as the largest soda company in America, is to make people happy. So what do you do? You create a fun, happy Twitter bot campaign that makes text photos out of everyone’s tweets. The results?
It’s a trap! Of course someone would create an account with the name @MeinCoke to dupe you into tweeting verses from Mein Kampf. How about a sip of fascism to help #makeithappy.
March — Budweiser’s #UpForWhatever
As if alcohol doesn’t already play an overwhelming role when it comes to promoting rape culture, now this message has become part of the Budweiser branding approach.
Be #upforwhatever, have a drink, and remove “no” from your vocabulary. Whatever happens, forget about it, because you were totally tipsy anyway… amiright ladies?
Apparently, “drink responsibly” was way too overrated.
April — Hitler Ice Cream Brand in India
What happens when one of the world’s greatest villains makes it onto your ice cream? Nothing, because it tastes so damn good, and because in India, Hitler’s not such a scary guy.
Obviously, Hitler’s infamous, authoritarian charisma transcends the century when it’s potent enough to move massive amounts of ice cream in India.
May — Under Armor’s “Band of Ballers”
Ever wonder what happens when you take “History” off the list of essential subjects taught in schools? You start confusing the true meaning behind historic events.
In the case of Under Armour’s Iwo Jima inspired design, the message of ‘band together’ is lost to thoughts of thousands of casualties that resulted from this devastating 36-day World War II battle.
June — The Heinz Ketchup Incident
A slip of the old ketchup. Who ever thought the QR code on the innocent ketchup bottle would link to a porn website? For Heinz, it became the “ketchup incident” of 2015.
Ketchup — you put it on your hotdogs at baseball games, and it always comes with a side of fries. But today, your ketchup might just come with something more — a secret, “special” ingredient.
July — Amazon #PrimeDayFail “Garage Sale”
Although Amazon Prime Day was a great success for business itself, consumers were not so impressed. Prime day was labeled as a “garage/garbage sale”, #primedayfail, or the result of Amazon raiding a Rite-aid and abandoned Circuit City.
Knee braces, a five-pack of brass knuckles, a shirt of Diane Keaton, and Fifty Shades of Grey (unrated) in the “Toys & Games” section for 60% off were some of the hottest deals talked about on Twitter.
Amazon still considers Prime Day victorious, since they know the secret to selling more online: small leads often become huge sales, no matter how random or confused.
August — Flipkart 19th Century Emails
You might be a sexist if… your emails speak to women back in the 1800s. Women were outraged in August by the contents of a Flipkart email campaign.
See, the quickest way to win a woman’s trust is to equate her appearances with her worthiness for respect and the message “beauty breeds success”.
Insulting customers is a sure path to a brand identity crisis.
September — Digiorno Pizza #WhyIStayed
Sometimes bad marketing is the result of an honest mistake. But then, you do a double-take! What does Digiorno have to do with domestic violence?
Absolutely nothing. In fact, the social media manager @DigiornoPizza’s Twitter had no idea what they were getting themselves into with the hashtag #whyistayed.
October — IHOP’s Brush with Feminists
It’s a joke you’d hear out of a snotty teenager’s mouth that somehow wound up on a pancake ad. Feminists took to their Twitter accounts in defense.
Mission accomplished — it may have been “dumb”, “immature”, and “does not reflect what IHOP stands for”, but chances are, you’ll probably think of that cheeky stack of pancakes next time you hear the joke.
November — Black Friday Slowing with Age
The day after Thanksgiving has been regarded as “the beginning of the Christmas shopping season” since 1932 (according to Wikipedia). This year, the age shows as Black Friday slows.
Should we feel devastated by the axing of a beloved (yet barbarous) holiday tradition? Meh, the millennials would rather just stay indoors for deals on Cyber Monday instead. No participation necessary, and delivered right to your door — oh, the joys of ecommerce!
December — Drinks at Bloomingdale’s
Black Friday fails lead to desperation in the December months. Bloomingdale’s takes the cake with a new slogan to inspire long-lasting friendships over holiday celebrations.
Apparently the Bloomingdale’s branding strategy requires alcohol. First get the customer good and intoxicated, then they will surely buy your cardigan sweaters.
Quality, price — who cares? Because the eggnog feels just right.
Need advice on getting your 2016 Marketing Plan together? Get organized with a look at online marketing tips and updates for the New Year at Revital Agency’s digital marketing blog.
Cheers to the New Year 2016!
What did you think of this year’s dark marketing fails? Show us some love, leave a comment, and share this article with your network.
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SOURCES:
The 5 Worst Marketing Fails 2015
Budlight’s Latest Slogan Backfired
