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30 Biggest Marketing Fails

These are the 30 biggest marketing fails we’ve ever seen. Whether it was poor packaging, a terrible tweet, or a lying commercial, these companies all wished they hadn’t advertised the way they did. Maybe they said something really dumb in a tweet. Maybe they didn’t expect their customers to take the company’s words so literally. Either way, these companies all faced backlash.

No type of company is exempt either. Big and small companies alike have undergone a lot of scrutiny in recent years. Huggies and Disney have both come under fire even though they market relatively innocent products. Bud Light made some big mistakes, leaving us to wonder if their marketing team had consumed a bit too much of their own product. IHOP, your favorite pancake place, makes marketing blunders so often they made our list twice. That’d be an impressive feat if you didn’t know what they had tweeted.

When companies we love make mistakes, it’s shocking and annoying. We want to buy our diapers, beer, and pancakes in peace. We don’t want to have to think about the politics that go into the company that makes our breakfast. We’re hungry. We just want to eat. But when companies cross some lines, you can’t just sit idly by.

We’re not saying you should boycott the companies on this list though! Some of the mistakes, like McDonald’s #McDStories, are super funny and don’t speak badly of the company. Other companies earned from their mistakes and cleaned up their act. Either way, read through and make sure you’re up to date with the companies you support. Where you can, have a laugh.

Image via: WSVN.

Subway’s $5 Footlong

Subway’s $5 Footlong

In 2007, Subway released a $5 footlong campaign complete with a catchy jingle. The campaign went on to last for a decade, which is a long time for any sort of special. People did complain that the subs weren’t all exactly 12”, though.

Then, in 2016, the chain raised the price to $6 to cover inflation. The public wasn’t happy, and now we’ve lost our beloved $5 sandwich forever.

Daniel/Footlong Spicy Italian from Subway/CC BY 2.0/Flickr

McDonald’s #McDStories

McDonald’s #McDStories

Nobody enjoys McDonald's. We only face the consequences of eating under the golden arches because it’s cheap and quick. Asking people to tell their stories with McDonald’s greasy food did not end well. We’re not sure what the company expected.

 

Needless to say, the "McStories" shared on social media were hilarious and deeply unflattering to the company. McDonalds took a brutal beating with this one and slinked away with its tail between its legs. 

Mike Licht/Twitter McNuggets/CC BY 2.0/Flickr

Levi’s “Hotness Comes in All Shapes and Sizes” Campaign

Levi’s “Hotness Comes in All Shapes and Sizes” Campaign

Levi's "Hotness Comes in All Shapes and Sizes" campaign aimed to celebrate body positivity and inclusivity by showcasing diversity in body types. The intention was to convey that beauty is not confined to one standard but exists across various forms.

However, public reaction was mixed, with some praising the attempt to embrace diversity, while others criticized it for primarily featuring a limited range of body types. 

Phillip Pessar/Levi’s Outlet Store Dolphin Mall/CC BY 2.0/Flickr

Kia’s Hamsters

Kia’s Hamsters

Nobody is really sure why Kia is so obsessed with hamsters. Sure, real hamsters are cute, but when you make them humanoid, it gets weird. When you slap female hamsters into skin-tight leather outfits in an attempt to make them hot, it makes everybody uncomfortable.

 

While the hamsters were well-received by many viewers, the frequency with which they popped up on our screens definitely got annoying quickly. 

tofuprod/LA Auto Show 2012/CC BY SA 2.0/Flickr

Bud Light's 2023 Influencer Partnership

Bud Light's 2023 Influencer Partnership

In 2023, Bud Light partnered with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney to promote a contest. The campaign led to immediate backlash and ridicule online, but it appears that this bizarre choice by Bud Light actually hurt their bottom line, too. 

Reports indicate sales dropped between 11% and 26% in the month following the promotion, with some sources suggesting a year-over-year decline of up to 30% lasting for several months. The brand lost market share and its place as America's best-selling beer.

Christophe Dion/Unsplash

Bloomingdale’s Spiked Ad

Bloomingdale’s Spiked Ad

In the same decade as the #MeToo movement, Bloomingdale thought it would be a great idea to encourage you to spike your friend’s drink.

Spiked drinks are synonymous with assault. Statistically, most happen by people you already know. We don’t know what Bloomingdale was thinking, but we don’t want to be friends with them.

(Image via Twitter)

Ice Cream in India

Ice Cream in India

This marketing mistake was not made by a huge company, but it’s still baffling.

 

A certain kind of Ice Cream is a thing in India. It’s not a coincidental name, either. It also features his face on the packaging. We’re not sure why they did this.

Paul Hamilton/Kwality Ice Cream Cart/CC BY SA 2.0/Flickr

IHOb

IHOb

In summer 2018, IHOP announced they’d change their name to “IHOb” but did not immediately announce what the “b” stood for. They wanted to build suspense. The internet was full of guesses, but nobody hit the mark. 

 

When IHOP announced that the “b” stood for “Burgers” the world was outraged. Luckily, this illogical change was just a marketing spoof. We have “IHOP” again!

TaurusEmerald, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Adobe

Starbucks’ #Racetogther

Starbucks’ #Racetogther

Ever heard the sentence, “Don’t talk to me till I’ve had my coffee”? Apparently, Starbucks hadn’t. The coffee company wanted to show its support for all people by encouraging customers and employees to have deep, world-changing conversations about race at the register.

Unsurprisingly, nobody wanted to have a deep conversation with a line behind them. The campaign didn’t even last a full week and led to a hilarious SNL spoof where workers at Pep Boys tried to start conversations about gender with their customers. 

tadekk/starbucks trio/CC BY 2.0/Flickr

IHOP “Flat But has a great personality”

IHOP “Flat But has a great personality”

Body shaming is generally accepted as unacceptable in today’s society. IHOP didn’t get the memo, though, and continued to perpetuate the stereotype that women with small breasts are physically unattractive. People all around were not happy.

It's probably no surprise that people online took way too much offense over this stupid joke and took to social media to express their "outrage." While the company had to issue a public apology, it doesn't seem to have hurt them too much in the long run. 

(Image via Twitter)

Nivea’s “White is Purity”

Nivea’s “White is Purity”

It seems like everyone lost their minds with this one. For one, how could Nivea not anticipate how the marketing slogan "White is Purity" would play on the internet? Those people thrive on outrage! 

 

However, it's equally ridiculous for those offended to think that Nivea is some devious company that proudly wears white supremacy on its sleeve. Is there a brain cell left anywhere on Earth at this point? 

Pascal/Nivea/CC0/Flickr

Huggies “Have Dad’s Put Huggies to the Test”

Huggies “Have Dad’s Put Huggies to the Test”

This campaign did a great job of insulting dads everywhere. It implied that dads did nothing when raising children, including changing diapers.

“Putting dads to the test” was their way of saying that their diapers could withstand children going without being changed for far too long, all thanks to their dad’s incompetence. Dads everywhere were not happy. 

(Image via Youtube)

Heinz QR Code Scandal

Heinz QR Code Scandal

On the back of many products, you’ll find a funky little square called a QR Code that you can scan with your smartphone. The scanned code then takes you to the website of whoever owns that QR code.

 

Heinz once let their QR codes expire. The codes were then bought by an adult content site. The customers who discovered this were not happy.

Mike Mozart/Heinz Ketchup/CC BY 2.0/Flickr

Kenneth Cole Cairo Tweet

Kenneth Cole Cairo Tweet

When protesters took to the streets in Cairo, Egypt, Kenneth Cole decided it was prime time to make more money. They tweeted a joking claim that people were taking to the streets because of their new spring collection.

 

We’re not professionals, but it doesn’t seem like the start of a revolution is the best time to market your brand.

mikest/Kenneth Cole/CC BY SA 2.0/Flickr

Under Armour’s Iwo Jima T-shirt

Under Armour’s Iwo Jima T-shirt

During the 5-week battle of Iwo Jima in 1945, almost 30,000 people died with another 20,000 people injured. It was a bloody battle that has been honored in America with the iconic Marine Corps War Memorial. 

Under Armour’s basketball shirt was both unpatriotic and disrespectful of human life and sacrifice. The company faced an online backlash.

 

(Image via Twitter)

Seoul Secret’s Blackface

Seoul Secret’s Blackface

You should know that blackface is not a good thing. You should also know that you shouldn’t have to be white to be successful. A Korean Beauty company proved they didn’t know either of these things with a single video.

 

They released an ad featuring both blackface and the tagline “You just need to be white to win.” Well, that’s just not true.

(Image via Adobe)

Adidas Boston Marathon Email

Adidas Boston Marathon Email

In 2013, tragedy struck when a bomber attacked the Boston Marathon. In a poor choice of words after the 2017 marathon, Adidas sent out an email to the finishers saying, “Congrats, you survived the Boston Marathon!”

 

This would work for most marathons, but was way too much, way too soon for Boston.

Emw, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Burger King Google Home Ad

Burger King Google Home Ad

Tens of millions of Americans own smart speakers, devices that respond to audio cues for things like quick web searches, music, and weather updates. Burger King knew that. In an ad talking about the greatness of their Whoppers, they asked Google Home for the ingredients of the Whopper.

 

This then prompted Google Homes to read the results found on Wikipedia. It was a great idea... until people hacked Wikipedia to say that Whoppers were “Cancer-causing” and contained cyanide.

bargainmoose/Burger King Canada/CC BY 2.0/Flickr

Sony’s PSP Ad

Sony’s PSP Ad

In 2006, Sony tried to market their white PlayStation Portable (PSP), but in doing so, they added their name to the growing list of problematic ad makers. However, Sony’s ad manages to look more purposefully hateful than most companies.

After all, it’s hard not to when you include the tagline “White is coming,” alongside an image as aggressive as this one

opusbei/DSC02769/CC BY 2.0/Flickr

Dove’s Shirt Ad

Dove’s Shirt Ad

In 2017, people on the internet once again proved that they are incapable of understanding context. During this year, Dove released a perfectly milquetoast ad for their products, and at one point, through help of video editing magic, a black woman removes her shirt and transforms into a white woman. 

 

Despite the fact that this is one short scene in the ad and that the ad had nothing to do with racism, people demanded blood and got their groveling apology from Dove. 

Toiletries & Cosmetics Wholesaler/DOVE SOAP 2x100G ORIGINAL/PDM 1.0/Flickr

DiGiorno Stayed for Pizza

DiGiorno Stayed for Pizza

On Twitter, the hashtag #WhyIStayed was adopted by people who were sharing their stories of domestic trauma. DiGorno saw the hashtag was trending, and without getting context, tweeted “#WhyIStayed You had pizza.” 

 

This is actually one instance where a brand genuinely put its foot in its mouth, and the company quickly apologized after realizing its error. 

Mike Mozart/DiGiorno Frozen Pizza, Nestle/CC BY 2.0/Flickr

Pepsi and Kendall Jenner

Pepsi and Kendall Jenner

Pepsi slipped up with Kendall Jenner. In 2017, in the midst of the Black Lives Matter movement, Pepsi produced a commercial in which Jenner gives police and protesters Pepsi to create peace.

 

The ad was said to “trivialize the movement.” Twitter took to the commercial, posting pictures of MLK and Pearl Harbor alongside the caption: “If only they had Pepsi.”

Cindy Ord/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images; Adobe

Disney Japan’s “Unbirthday” Tweet

Disney Japan’s “Unbirthday” Tweet

Alice in Wonderland has produced some fun and quirky stuff. A few years back, Disney Japan tweeted out an Alice themed “Happy Unbirthday” tweet with the caption “Congrats on a trifling day.”

 

Normally, this would be okay Alice-themed material. Their mistake? It was the anniversary of the Nagasaki bombings.

Takesi0705, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Dove’s Body Positive Packaging

Dove’s Body Positive Packaging

Dove has always been good at encouraging people to be comfortable in their own skin. Because of this longstanding relationship with their customers, people didn’t come down on Dove too harshly when they produced bottles designed to look like women of all shapes and sizes.

 

That said, nobody wants to look like any of these shampoo bottles, and it's strange that Dove thought this campaign would be a winner. 

Mike Mozart/Dove Soap/CC BY 2.0 DEED/Flickr

NYPD and Their #myNYPD Fail

NYPD and Their #myNYPD Fail

The New York City police department is very active on Twitter. Hoping to combat all of the public mistakes police officers have made in recent years, they created the hashtag #myNYPD with the intention of encouraging people to share pictures of officers being nice, helpful members of the community.

 

Instead, people shared pictures of the NYPD’s police being aggressive and problematic. It wasn’t quite the response the department was looking for. 

Beyond My Ken, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

LifeLock and Todd Davis’s Social Security Number

LifeLock and Todd Davis’s Social Security Number

If you’re worried about your social security number getting stolen, LifeLock is not the company for you. It’s designed to protect your security number. Todd Davis, the founder of the company, was so confident in LifeLock that he put his social security number on billboards, trucks, and their website.

 

Naturally, it was stolen 13 times. While we appreciate that the man was willing to put his money where his mouth is, Lifelock customers were none too pleased. 

MoorMoney/lifelock/CC BY 2.0/Flickr

2007 Cartoon Network Bomb Scare

2007 Cartoon Network Bomb Scare

In one of the funniest marketing scares of all-time, Boston proved just how out of the loop they are. Cartoon Network, in what they called a guerrilla marketing campaign, placed a bunch of LED pictures of a cartoon character in 10 cities.

 

Nine cities knew what the light-ups were. Boston, however, did not. They thought the characters were bombs. They shut down roads for half a day, sent out bomb squads, and basically proved they would not know how to handle a real bomb threat.

Jimmy, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

I Take A Sheet in the Pool

I Take A Sheet in the Pool

Sheets Energy Strips made our collective eyes roll in the early 2010s with their "I Take a Sheet in the Pool" ad campaign. And admit it: this probably got a chuckle out of you if you happened to see one of their ads.

Still, associating your business with pooping in the pool is not necessarily the link you want to make in your customers' minds! 

(Image via Adobe)

Airbnb Floating World Ad

Airbnb Floating World Ad

We understand advertising campaigns are planned months in advance. It’s still not a great idea to send out ads promoting Airbnb’s fancy water-home during hurricane season.

 

Airbnb’s luck ran out when this ad was sent out during Hurricane Harvey, the storm that wrecked parts of Texas. Needless to say, people were not pleased with this one. 

Open Grid Scheduler/ Grid Engine’s photostream/Airbnb Office/CC0/Flickr

Audi Chinese Wedding

Audi Chinese Wedding

When you buy a car, you need to check it out and make sure it’s up to standards. Unless you’re buying an Audi. Because you can trust Audis, you can spend that time inspecting the nose, ears, and teeth of your son’s bride-to-be.

 

After all, women are measured by their physical attributes... We’re not sure what Audi was trying to say here, but people everywhere were not fans.

Shail29, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons