Written by Marketing failure can be a nightmare for a company. It may occur due to more focus on creativity than the product itself. Other reasons may include an improper tone or just the wrong timing.
Advertising your brand is the best way to reach your customers. It helps to communicate the details of your product and increases brand value. It brings the attention of your target audience to your company.
McDonald’s Filet-o-Fish Burger
On May 12, 2017, McDonald’s launched an ad that showed a boy trying to find similarities with his dead father. In the end, the boy is seen happy as he finds that his father liked the same burger as he does.
The ad was highly criticized and called upsetting. McDonald’s was accused of exploiting the misery and pain of children by selling food. Later, an apology was released by McDonald’s in which they said “This was by no means an intention of ours. We wanted to highlight the role McDonald’s has played in our customers’ everyday lives – both in good and difficult times.”
Dove: Body Shape Bottles
Dove as a brand has been appreciated a lot for its real beauty campaigns. The company is a part of Unilever and has brought a great difference to the meaning of beauty for people. The company runs reality-based advertisements casting real-life women.
They have always claimed that their motto is to celebrate body diversity and also, to spread the beauty confidence in women of all shapes. However, a 2017 advertisement of the company became a huge controversy.
The company decided to launch a limited edition of body wash bottles in different shapes resembling women of different sizes. But, the campaign did not go as expected and was ridiculed a lot.
It was said that choosing one out of different shaped bottles made women more self-conscious. Even Kristen Bellstrom of Fortune’s broadsheet newsletter criticized the advertisement.
Audi: Chinese Wedding Commercial
A commercial was aired for the promotion of used Audi cars in 2017. The tagline was “An important decision must be made carefully.”
The ad begins at a wedding scene and shows an old woman is seen running to the altar where his son is getting married. The woman checks the nose, ears, teeth, and other body parts of the bride. After which she gets down giving an okay sign. The campaign was highly criticized for objectifying women.