Successful marketing campaigns are designed to generate attention and drive sales. But what happens when a marketing campaign totally bombs? In this blog post, we’ll take a look at some of the funniest marketing campaigns that backfired—badly. From ineffective celebrity endorsements to offensive advertising, these companies made some big mistakes. So sit back, relax, and enjoy reading about these marketing fails!
McDonald's #McDStories Twitter Campaign (2012)
In 2012, McDonald’s ran a Twitter campaign called #McDStories in hopes of collecting positive stories about its brand. The only problem? It didn’t quite go as planned. Instead of receiving feel-good stories about its food, McDonald’s was inundated with tales of food poisoning and other gastronomical nightmare stories. Needless to say, the fast-food chain was forced to pull the plug on the campaign pretty quickly.
Dove Real Beauty Sketches (2013)
Dove’s “Real Beauty Sketches” campaign was intended to empower women by showing them that they are more beautiful than they think. However, the execution of the campaign was deeply flawed. The ad featured a sketch artist who drew two portraits of the same woman—one based on her own description and one based on the description provided by someone else. Unsurprisingly, the “other” portrait was always more flattering. While the intention of the ad may have been good, it ultimately perpetuated the harmful notion that women are their own worst critics. Consequently, Dove was forced to issue an apology.
Nike's "Boys will be boys" (2017)
In 2017, Nike ran an ad campaign with the tagline “Boys will be boys.” The ad featured a young boy about to steal a pair of Nike shoes from another child. Nike was roundly criticized for normalizing theft, and the company was forced to pull the ad.
Pepsi Live for Now (2017)
In 2017, Pepsi released an ad featuring Kendall Jenner that sparked outrage among viewers. The ad showed Jenner joining a protest and using a can of Pepsi to diffuse the tense situation. Critics accused Pepsi of trivializing social issues and appropriating imagery from Black Lives Matter protests. As a result of the backlash, Pepsi pulled the ad and issued an apology. Needless to say, “Live for Now” is not a campaign that Pepsi will soon forget.
Gillette The Best Men Can Be (2019)
Gillette’s “The Best Men Can Be” campaign sought to challenge toxic masculinity by urging men to be better role models for the next generation. While it’s laudable that Gillette wanted to start a conversation about this important issue, many viewers felt that the ad went too far in demonizing men. Gillette was accused of being anti-male and alienating its customer base. In response to the criticism, Gillette issued a statement saying that it would continue to promote its message of “respect purpose in lives.”
Marketing campaigns are designed to generate attention and drive sales. But sometimes, they can backfire spectacularly. In this blog post, we took a look at some of the funniest marketing campaigns that totally bombed. From ineffective celebrity endorsements to offensive advertising, these companies made some big mistakes. We hope you enjoyed reading about these marketing fails!