5 examples of the most unsuccessful advertising campaigns of the digital age
Posted: Wed Jan 22, 2025 6:02 am
"Would You Rather?" on Snapchat
The game, "Would You Rather?" was created by a third party. In 2018, after a test run, Snapchat deemed it a success and published it on the app. Users were asked a provocative question about their relative preference: "punch Chris Brown" or "slap Rihanna." The ad was likely a reference to Chris Brown's accusation of beating Rihanna in February 2009.
Snapchat Advertising Campaign
The ad had to be removed physician database within a few days, as it caused a wave of outrage among Snapchat users. Rihanna also slammed Snapchat, outraged by the fact that the creators of the ad were using victims of domestic violence for PR: "I'd like to call this ignorance, but I know you're not that stupid! You spent money to intentionally shame victims of domestic violence and made a joke out of it!!!"
The results of the "Would You Rather?" project were disastrous - the share price of Snap Inc., which is the parent company of Snapchat, fell by 5%, which in turn led to losses of $ 1 billion.
McDonald's and its #McDStories
The actual results of an advertising campaign can be very different from what marketers imagined. In 2012, a poorly thought-out #McDStories project idea backfired and damaged the brand's image.
McDonald's and its #McDStories
"I ate a cheeseburger at McDonald's a few years ago and got food poisoning so bad I had to be hospitalized. Here's my #McDStories" - this and similar customer stories were posted on Twitter by McDonald's. The idea behind the advertising campaign was simple: users of this social network were asked to share their personal experiences ordering from the brand's fast food restaurants. The creators of the #McDStories project did not take into account that reviews may not only be positive. The hashtag was instantly filled with horrible stories about poor service and low quality of McDonald's products, and the corporation was even publicly accused of cruelty to animals.
The corporation pulled the plug on the campaign after just a couple of hours, but it was enough time to do damage. Later, J. Falls, a social media communications specialist, explained the failure: “McDonald’s employees… had no idea how the company was actually perceived in the marketplace. They saw the brand in a way that was completely different from how consumers saw it.” The failed advertising campaign is an example of inadequate self-esteem for a brand.
Warburton #CrumpetCreations
Before adding a hashtag to your marketing campaign, you need to check it thoroughly. Otherwise, you risk getting inappropriate companions, as happened to the British bakery Warburton.
In December 2017, the company informed consumers about the launch of a new marketing campaign. The instructions were simple: take a photo of your most successful crumpets and upload it to social media with the hashtag #CrumpetCreations. If the organizers had checked the hashtag in advance, they would have known that CrumpetCreations is the name of a fursuiter, a manufacturer of unique animal costumes for the furry community.
One participant was furious when she clicked on the tag to rate her competitors and discovered the silly mistake. Warburton apologized and changed the hashtag, but the misunderstanding has already reached local media.
Warburton #CrumpetCreations
While Warburton's staff were left feeling ashamed by their mistake, the owner of Crumpet Creations found the whole thing hilarious. She told the UK's Metro newspaper: "The poor bakery had no idea... why didn't they check the hashtag before the competition started?"
The game, "Would You Rather?" was created by a third party. In 2018, after a test run, Snapchat deemed it a success and published it on the app. Users were asked a provocative question about their relative preference: "punch Chris Brown" or "slap Rihanna." The ad was likely a reference to Chris Brown's accusation of beating Rihanna in February 2009.
Snapchat Advertising Campaign
The ad had to be removed physician database within a few days, as it caused a wave of outrage among Snapchat users. Rihanna also slammed Snapchat, outraged by the fact that the creators of the ad were using victims of domestic violence for PR: "I'd like to call this ignorance, but I know you're not that stupid! You spent money to intentionally shame victims of domestic violence and made a joke out of it!!!"
The results of the "Would You Rather?" project were disastrous - the share price of Snap Inc., which is the parent company of Snapchat, fell by 5%, which in turn led to losses of $ 1 billion.
McDonald's and its #McDStories
The actual results of an advertising campaign can be very different from what marketers imagined. In 2012, a poorly thought-out #McDStories project idea backfired and damaged the brand's image.
McDonald's and its #McDStories
"I ate a cheeseburger at McDonald's a few years ago and got food poisoning so bad I had to be hospitalized. Here's my #McDStories" - this and similar customer stories were posted on Twitter by McDonald's. The idea behind the advertising campaign was simple: users of this social network were asked to share their personal experiences ordering from the brand's fast food restaurants. The creators of the #McDStories project did not take into account that reviews may not only be positive. The hashtag was instantly filled with horrible stories about poor service and low quality of McDonald's products, and the corporation was even publicly accused of cruelty to animals.
The corporation pulled the plug on the campaign after just a couple of hours, but it was enough time to do damage. Later, J. Falls, a social media communications specialist, explained the failure: “McDonald’s employees… had no idea how the company was actually perceived in the marketplace. They saw the brand in a way that was completely different from how consumers saw it.” The failed advertising campaign is an example of inadequate self-esteem for a brand.
Warburton #CrumpetCreations
Before adding a hashtag to your marketing campaign, you need to check it thoroughly. Otherwise, you risk getting inappropriate companions, as happened to the British bakery Warburton.
In December 2017, the company informed consumers about the launch of a new marketing campaign. The instructions were simple: take a photo of your most successful crumpets and upload it to social media with the hashtag #CrumpetCreations. If the organizers had checked the hashtag in advance, they would have known that CrumpetCreations is the name of a fursuiter, a manufacturer of unique animal costumes for the furry community.
One participant was furious when she clicked on the tag to rate her competitors and discovered the silly mistake. Warburton apologized and changed the hashtag, but the misunderstanding has already reached local media.
Warburton #CrumpetCreations
While Warburton's staff were left feeling ashamed by their mistake, the owner of Crumpet Creations found the whole thing hilarious. She told the UK's Metro newspaper: "The poor bakery had no idea... why didn't they check the hashtag before the competition started?"