In the business world, there’s a fine line between funny and offensive. Get it right, and you’ll have people talking about your brand for days, weeks, even months. But get it wrong, and you’ll be the subject of social media backlash that can quickly spiral out of control.
Fortunately, there are plenty of examples of businesses who have walked that line and come out on the other side unscathed. From KFC’s suggestive bucket hats to Burger King’s mouldy Whopper, these marketing campaigns were so successful that they’re still being talked about years later.
KFC's Bucket Hat campaign
In 2019, KFC introduced a new line of bucket hats that were meant to resemble the fast-food chain’s iconic red-and-white buckets. The only problem? The hats also happened to look a lot like condoms.
KFC was quick to acknowledge the obvious double meaning, tweeting “The new KFC bucket hats are finger lickin’ good. But they might also get you laid.” The risqué campaign was a huge success, with the hats selling out within days.
Burger King's Mouldy Whopper
In 2019, Burger King rolled out a new ad campaign in which customers were encouraged to try the fast-food chain’s mouldy burgers. Yes, you read that correctly. As part of the #EatLikeNoOneIsWatching” campaign, BK created a short video showing customers how its burgers become covered in mould after 34 days—and how they taste just as good as ever.
While some people were grossed out by the idea of eating mouldy food, others found the campaign to be humorous and clever. Burger King got people talking about its brand—and that’s really all any marketing campaign can hope for.
GEICO's Hump Day camel commercials
GEICO has been running its popular “Hump Day” camel commercials since 2013. In the ads, a camel walks around an office on Wednesdays, much to the dismay of employees who are trying to focus on work. The joke is that Wednesday is known as “hump day” because it’s right in the middle of the work week—and everyone is just trying to make it over the hump.
These commercials are so popular that there are now T-shirts, mugs, and even plush toys featuring the GEICO camel. It’s safe to say that this campaign was a huge success for the insurance company. IHOP’s name change ploy
IHOb's burgers
In 2018, IHOP caused a stir when it announced that it was changing its name to IHOb (pronounced “I-Hob”) in order to promote its new line of burgers. At first, people were confused by the name change—but then they quickly realized that IHOP was just trying to generate publicity for its new menu items. And it worked! The stunt got people talking about IHOP (er, IHOb), and sales of burgers increased 20 percent during the promotion.
Old Spice's The Man Your Man Could Smell Like campaign
In 2010, Old Spice debuted its “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” commercial featuring actor Isaiah Mustafa. The commercial was such a hit that Old Spice followed it up with a series of videos in which Mustafa responded to questions from social media users. These videos were incredibly popular, earning Old Spice more than $100 million in sales and making Mustafa an internet sensation practically overnight.
If you want your marketing campaign to be successful, you need to think outside the box—way outside the box. By pushing boundaries and taking risks, you can create ads that will get people talking about your brand for days, weeks, even months down the road. Just make sure you don’t go too far; if your campaign offends more people than it amuses, you’ll end up doing more harm than good.