Bad marketing advice can be alluring in the moment—a bold new tactic that promises to cut through the noise or a dramatic pivot that feels like shaking things up. But all too often, these seemingly clever ideas prove to be disastrous missteps that damage brand reputations and customer relationships.
As the old saying goes, "the road to hell is paved with good intentions." In the marketing world, that road is littered with cringeworthy campaigns, tone-deaf tweets, and facepalm-worthy flubs that started as well-meaning advice.
To help you avoid these pitfalls, we‘ve rounded up 11 of the most notorious examples of bad marketing advice in action. For each cautionary tale, we‘ll dissect what went wrong, quantify the fallout, and extract the hard-won lessons you can apply to your own marketing efforts.
1. Pepsi‘s Protest Ad Fiasco
In 2017, Pepsi released an ad featuring Kendall Jenner joining a nondescript street protest and diffusing tensions by handing a police officer a can of Pepsi. The bizarre scene played out against the backdrop of the very real Black Lives Matter movement.
The backlash was swift and severe, with critics accusing Pepsi of undermining the gravity of the protests and co-opting social justice movements to sell soda. Within 24 hours, Pepsi pulled the ad and issued an apology.
The Lesson: Brands need to be extremely thoughtful when addressing sociopolitical issues in their marketing. Trivializing real struggles to peddle products is never a good look. If you‘re going to take a stand, do so authentically and respectfully.
2. Dove‘s Racist Ad Mishap
In 2017, Dove posted a Facebook ad promoting its body wash that depicted a Black woman removing her shirt to reveal a white woman underneath. The staggeringly tone-deaf visual directly played into racist tropes about cleanliness and whiteness.
The outcry was immediate. Although Dove quickly removed the ad and apologized, the damage was done. It was glaring proof of the need for more diversity on marketing teams to prevent offensive blind spots.
The Lesson: Consistently prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion in your marketing processes. Get input from diverse perspectives at every stage to help identify problematic elements before they ever see the light of day.
3. Burger King UK‘s Sexist "Women Belong in the Kitchen" Tweet
On International Women‘s Day 2021, Burger King UK thought it would be clever to tweet "Women belong in the kitchen" as a parody setup to promote their scholarship for female chefs. Unsurprisingly, most people didn‘t get past the misogynistic "joke" to the punchline.
Burger King deleted the tweet and issued an apology within hours, but the screenshots live on as a master class in what not to do. It‘s a stark reminder that irony is extremely hard to pull off, especially when dealing with sensitive topics.
The Lesson: If you‘re going to make a provocative joke, make sure it‘s genuinely funny and not just offensive for the sake of edginess. Punching down is never a good move. When in doubt, take the high road.
4. DiGiorno‘s Misguided Hashtag Hijacking
In 2014, frozen pizza brand DiGiorno jumped on the trending #WhyIStayed hashtag with a glib tweet: "#whyistayed You had pizza."
The problem? That hashtag was being used by survivors of domestic violence to share their harrowing stories. DiGiorno‘s careless attempt at humor came off as flippant and insensitive in context.
To their credit, DiGiorno deleted the tweet within minutes and followed up with a sincere apology. But the incident remains a cautionary example of why brands need to thoroughly research a hashtag before using it.
The Lesson: Always do your due diligence before joining a social media conversation. Make sure you fully understand the context and tone of a trending topic, and consider whether your brand has any business weighing in.
5. Kurl-On Mattresses‘ Blatant Copycat Branding
In 2016, Indian mattress company Kurl-On unveiled a new logo, website, and packaging that bore a striking resemblance to the branding of online mattress startup Casper. It wasn‘t just similar—it was a blatant, pixel-for-pixel rip-off.
Casper called out the copying on social media, spurring a flood of negative press for Kurl-On. The Indian company eventually relented and reverted to its original branding.
The Lesson: Taking "inspiration" from competitors is one thing, but outright plagiarism is never acceptable. Focus on developing your own unique brand identity and value proposition rather than trying to piggyback off others‘ success.
6. Airbnb‘s Tone-Deaf San Francisco Ad Campaign
In 2015, Airbnb plastered San Francisco bus stops with passive-aggressive ads suggesting ways the city should spend the hotel tax revenue generated by Airbnb hosts. One particularly cringeworthy ad read: "Dear Public Library System, We hope you use some of the $12 million in hotel taxes to keep the library open later."
The ads came off as a tone-deaf jab at underfunded public services while Airbnb was under fire for exacerbating the city‘s housing crisis. The company apologized and took the ads down within days.
The Lesson: Be mindful of the larger context and potential unintended implications of your messaging. A campaign that seems cheeky in the boardroom can easily read as callous or out of touch in the real world.
7. Cinnabon‘s Careless Carrie Fisher Tweet
In the wake of Carrie Fisher‘s death in 2016, Cinnabon decided to pay tribute to the actress by tweeting an image of her iconic Star Wars character Princess Leia with a Cinnabon pastry photoshopped into her hair. The caption read: "RIP Carrie Fisher, you‘ll always have the best buns in the galaxy."
The attempt at a pun came off as crass and exploitative, using Fisher‘s death as fodder for a lazy branded joke. Cinnabon deleted the tweet within hours and issued an apology.
The Lesson: When a beloved public figure dies, brands should tread carefully with any commentary or tributes. If you didn‘t have a genuine connection to the person, it‘s often best to say nothing at all rather than risk appearing opportunistic.
8. Bud Light‘s Misguided "Removing ‘No‘ From Your Vocabulary" Slogan
In 2015, as part of its #UpForWhatever campaign, Bud Light printed the slogan "The perfect beer for removing ‘no‘ from your vocabulary for the night" on some of its bottles.
Given the pervasive issues of sexual harassment and assault at alcohol-fueled events, the phrasing came off as disturbingly tone-deaf at best and actively endorsing predatory behavior at worst.
Anheuser-Busch, Bud Light‘s parent company, quickly discontinued the bottles and publicly acknowledged the error in judgment.
The Lesson: Double and triple-check your campaign slogans and copy for any potentially problematic interpretations or implications, especially when dealing with sensitive topics like sex, consent, and alcohol.
9. Chase Bank‘s Condescending Financial Advice Tweet
In 2019, Chase Bank attempted to dispense cheeky financial advice on Twitter with a hypothetical conversation between a customer and their bank account. The customer asks why their balance is low, and the bank account snarkily replies: "make coffee at home," "eat the food that‘s already in the fridge," and "you don‘t need a cab, it‘s only three blocks."
For many, the tweet reeked of privileged condescension and victim-blaming, ignoring the systemic financial challenges faced by low and middle-income individuals. A chorus of criticism led Chase to delete the tweet and issue a mea culpa.
The Lesson: Be extremely cautious with humor when discussing sensitive topics like personal finances. Punching down on those with less privilege is a surefire way to alienate your audience and come off as out of touch.
10. Adidas‘ Poorly Worded Boston Marathon Email
In 2017, the day after the Boston Marathon, Adidas sent out an email to participants with the subject line: "Congrats, you survived the Boston Marathon!"
Given the fatal terrorist attack that had occurred at the marathon just four years prior, many found the phrasing of the email to be jarringly insensitive. Adidas quickly apologized for the "insensitive" subject line, but the damage was done.
The Lesson: Always consider the full context and potential triggering associations of your messaging. What seems like innocuous phrasing to you could carry much weightier implications for your audience.
11. Coca-Cola‘s "New Coke" Debacle
Perhaps the most classic example of marketing malpractice, Coca-Cola‘s infamous 1985 decision to replace its flagship product with a reformulated "New Coke" was an epic failure.
Despite focus groups preferring the taste of New Coke, the broader public revolted against the change. Coca-Cola received over 400,000 angry phone calls and letters demanding the return of the original formula. The company backpedaled within three months, quietly retiring New Coke and returning to "Coca-Cola Classic."
The Lesson: Be extremely judicious about making major changes to beloved products or branding. Don‘t let tunnel vision from focus groups and internal research blind you to the potential for wider backlash. If it ain‘t broke, think long and hard before trying to fix it.
Bad Marketing Advice by the Numbers
To further illustrate the scope and impact of bad marketing advice, let‘s look at some telling statistics:
- 74% of consumers say word-of-mouth heavily influences their purchasing decisions (BrightLocal)—all the more reason to avoid becoming a social media laughingstock
- It takes an average of 40 positive customer experiences to undo the damage of one negative experience (Ruby Newell-Legner)—a stark reminder of the long shadow cast by marketing missteps
- A little over half (53%) of consumers expect brands to be transparent about their values and take a stand on social issues (SproutSocial)—but ill-conceived attempts at "woke marketing" often do more harm than good
- Diverse companies are 70% more likely to capture new markets (HBR)—underscoring the business imperative of fostering diverse marketing teams to avoid blind spots
The Bottom Line on Bad Marketing Advice
For all the cautionary tales and cringeworthy missteps explored above, the underlying lessons are surprisingly simple. To inoculate your brand against bad marketing advice, follow these fundamental Do‘s & Don‘ts:
DO:
- Carefully vet ideas to ensure they align with your values and target audience
- Prioritize diversity and inclusion in your marketing teams and decision-making
- Consider the full context and potential unintended implications of your messaging
- Humanize your brand with authenticity, empathy, and a commitment to providing genuine value
- Own up to mistakes quickly, sincerely, and transparently
DON‘T:
- Chase controversy for its own sake or punch down on those with less privilege
- Jump on trends or hashtags without fully understanding the context
- Make light of serious sociopolitical issues or tragedies
- Rely on tired stereotypes or problematic tropes in your messaging
- Dramatically change core offerings or branding without extensive customer input
At the end of the day, avoiding bad marketing advice boils down to maintaining a steadfast commitment to your values, a healthy humility about what you don‘t know, and an unwavering empathy for your customers. By staying true to those north stars and learning from the mistakes of those who strayed, you can keep your brand on the path to marketing success.
