A few months ago, Martin Communications was kind enough to let me take over the company blog for a day to extol the virtues of “Teaching off the Awful.” This approach to learning sees us taking valuable lessons away from terrible, terrible execution. In the end, you understand the concept or idea more clearly, because you’ve seen someone completely miss the mark.
Beyond being educational, this is typically good for a few laughs. That’s why I’ve been invited back to the blog, to share even MORE marketing fails, and the valuable lessons the agency world and my fellow marketers can glean from them.
1. DiGiorno’s Domestic Violence Disaster
Twitter hasn’t necessarily kept up with Facebook in terms of relevance for marketers (although it is still a very important platform on which to be seen). But in 2014, the social media outlet was a juggernaut, after a very strong showing with its IPO in November the year before. The platform is known for giving users the ability to initiate authentic conversations, and as certain topics start trending, marketers can be smart to capitalize on the hottest hashtags.
In September of 2014, the hashtag #WhyIStayed was a trending topic. Thousands of individuals used the hashtag to share reasons why they had previously stayed, or why they currently were staying, in physically, mentally, and emotionally abusive relationships. DiGiorno (yes, the pizza company) decided to throw their hat into the ring with the following tweet:
Of course, the backlash was immediate. Within five minutes, the tone deaf pizzaiolos issued an apology:
Lessons learned:
- Research any trending topics before blindly posting about them.
- An approval process for social media posts can be clunky, but having an extra review before going live can save your brand a lot of embarrassment.
2. Susan Boyle’s Party STINKS
In 2012, Susan Boyle (of Britain’s Got Talent fame) was releasing a new album. To celebrate, her label decided to throw an exclusive album party. Susan’s PR team used this opportunity to get some social media buzz generated by hosting an Ask Me Anything (AMA) session on Twitter. AMAs are great ways to get fans actively talking about an individual or a brand, and give them a level of interactivity they crave. For those who wanted to participate in the AMA, Susan’s team developed a hashtag:
#susanalbumparty
Yeah. I see it too. So did the rest of the world. The hashtag was quickly trending, but for none of its intended purposes.
Lessons learned:
- Hashtags are tricky, especially when using multiple words. Run them by a few different people before deciding on one unilaterally. Maybe show them to a teenager and see if they snicker.
- Once you put something out into the social media atmosphere, you no longer can control it; you have to be prepared for the consequences.
3. Kentucky Fried Phalanges
KFC is one of the most popular food brands in China, and is the largest restaurant chain in the country with over 5,000 locations. When they first opened up shop in China in the 80s, however, that reality seemed anything BUT inevitable. At the time, the company was still using the time-honored tagline, “Finger-lickin’ good.” As a side note, that grosses me out to this day… but I digress. When KFC opened its first locations in China, they used a direct translation of this phrase. It baffled their potential customers:
We’ll eat your fingers off.
Yikes. In the 80s, this type of blunder was a little more understandable than it is today, but you’d be surprised to find how often mistranslations still make it to the main marketing stage. Check out this list for some that will really make your day. Another favorite on mine? Also in China, Pepsi’s slogan, “Come Alive with Pepsi!” translated into “Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the dead!” I knew it could shine up a penny, but this too? Neat!
Lessons learned:
- When translating your brand into a new language, don’t rely on Google Translate alone. Get a native speaker to verify EVERYTHING you write is correct.
- You can’t rely on cultural homogeneity either. Just because a phrase is properly translated into a language doesn’t mean that it carries the same meaning to all who speak that language. For instance, while Spanish is a common language for many countries, the meanings behind certain words and phrases can vary wildly.
4. The Hawaii Chair Says Aloha to Productivity
The “goodbye” version of aloha though. The makers of the Hawaii Chair claim that the repetitive circular motion of the hula dance makes for incredible abs. There’s probably some truth there; plenty of studies and athletic programs have shown that dance, especially dance focusing on core movement, control and strength, can be phenomenal for weight loss and for toning abdominal muscles. But what if all of that “effort” and “moving” and “actually doing something” seems like too much work? Well do I have a product for you.
Rather than take the time to learn a complicated cultural dance and get some exercise, why don’t you just sit in this motorized rotating chair? You can Hawaii Chair anywhere! This whole infomercial is painful to watch, but my absolute favorite part is where they’re trying to show how you can get a workout at work by using it while staying productive. The issue is, everyone trying to do anything at a desk during that segment is obviously doing everything in their power to not send the stuff on their desk hurdling to the floor as the chair throws their entire body around in a circle.
Seen here: A woman reaching for documents while her chair moves her entire body further away from said documents.
Even the obviously paid actors think the project is ridiculous. Listen to the first woman in the office try not to laugh as she explains how she can really feel it working.
The one thing this ad gets right? That jingle. Days after watching this ad in preparation for this blog, I still find myself channeling Don Ho and belting out, “The Hawaii Chair.”
Lessons Learned:
- Sometimes gimmicks work. Sometimes you build a chair that won’t stop rotating and try to sell it to the guys who probably also bought that spray on hair for their bald spots.
- Bad products can still do marginally well if marketed properly. Show your product performing in an environment that fits and it’s sellable. Show your product ragdolling a woman as she tries to type on her computer and people won’t bite.
- A good jingle can help make people remember your product.
5. Shop East Hills for Back to School, or Else They’ll Keep Running This Ad
In 2014, the East Hills Mall in Saint Joseph, Missouri was having a back to school blowout across many different stores. To get the word out, they created an ad. Now, what’s going to draw out teens for some back to school shopping? Dope beatz, of course. Throw some sizzlin’ hot beat boxing over a wicked-awesome lyric track and you’re gonna have teens and tweens Whipping and Nae Nae-ing all over the mall. Who better to put down the funk than mall employees themselves?
LITERALLY anyone else, that’s who.
This is the perfect storm of terrible local advertising. No one in the ad, aside from the haircut lady, can carry a tune. Also, it appears to me that they took a bunch of the video without really planning, and then went to the cutting room.
“Oh no! This ad is 13 seconds long and we bought a 30! What do we do?”
“Have everyone sing twice!”
“Genius! But wait, now it’s only 28 seconds!”
“Have the haircut lady sing again!”
“You are an advertising wizard!”
Actually, I take it back. This ad is so bad that it’s good. I love it. Look for the “boots and pants” guy in the next TV spot I write.
Lessons learned:
- If you’re going to do TV, consider hiring professionals. For filming, editing and speaking.
- If you’re going to do video AND there’s going to be music, make sure the stars can sing, and that your beatboxer can actually beatbox.
- Know when you’re in over your head and admit it.
- Roll with the punches. Some failures can be capitalized on.
6. This One is Cheating
Okay, yeah, so Scott Hoy of Hoy Trial Lawyers made an appearance on my last blog post for Martin. But I promise, no matter how many times you watch this ad, it’s completely hilarious. Four months later, I still regularly find myself trying to figure out what the heck Scott is talking about.
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There you have it. Bad ads and the lessons they can teach us. What’s your favorite terrible ad? Send it to us on Twitter or Facebook, and maybe we’ll include it in the next blog!
Until next time, stay safe and remember to laugh at yourself! In the immortal words of my favorite advertising star, “Boots and pants. And boots and pants.”
About the Author:
Bryan Aungst is an Account Manager at Martin Communications. He gets a kick out of wrestling creative issues with clients, writing copy, playing Pokémon Go, and treating the bruises on his forehead from running into things while playing Pokémon Go.