Marketing fails, or failures consist of campaigns or incidents that cause damage to the brand and/or result in a net loss. Failures present themselves in advertisements, social media posts, or leaks and can offend a group of people. These errors happen at every level, from small businesses to large, global companies. These errors can cause much backlash and can be damaging to a brand. Let's look at some marketing failures and then dive into how to avoid and handle incidents:
Holiday Inn creates a commercial comparing the amount they spent to improve the quality of their hotel to the amount an individual spent to improve the quality of their gender transition (Davis, 2007).
Apple drops a commercial to introduce the 2024 iPad Pro 13 in. M4, which gained backlash from the creative community. Actors and creators chimed in, claiming that Apple is crushing symbols of the arts and creativity (Today, 2024).
How to avoid: Have a quality assurance process for all content. We understand that some entities have the resources to do so. Consider seeking advice from an equality professional. Being creative is helpful, but you should stay within certain boundaries. Build diverse teams. Diverse teams provide different approaches, increase your team’s creativity, and provide exposure to various groups of people and perspectives, which helps to avoid misalignment. Be cautious when making assumptions. We find that the most common errors occur when making assumptions, commenting, or drafting scenarios on protected classes and groups. NY State lists a group of protected classes: “race, creed, color, national origin, sexual orientation, military status, sex, age, marital status, domestic violence victim status, disability, pregnancy-related condition, predisposing genetic characteristics, prior arrest or conviction record, familial status, and gender identity” (OCFS, 2024). When creating content for or about these groups, tread lightly and be cautious. Try not to isolate. This can be challenging when a group is a target market. If a specific group is a target market, consider having an expert on the group as part of your quality assurance process.
What to do if you have made a mistake: The severity of the damages varies. Some failures can harm a company (Gucci’s black-face incident), while others may not be as severe. First, learn from the incident. Your response will depend on the severity. Some incidents warrant an apology to start. The apology should be both sympathetic and empathetic. Ensure that your company does not tolerate inequality. Make the proper changes to limit the risk of reoccurrence. An apology alone does not solve the problem. You have to reassure your audience, showing them that you have learned from the incident, had no intention to harm, and implemented new or adjusted current procedures to avoid making these errors in the future. If the failure was only a net loss without offense, learn from the metrics. How does this initiative compare to previous initiatives? Where is the opportunity to improve?
National Museum of African American History and Culture, (n.d.). Blackface: the birth of an american stereotype. Smithsonian. https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/blackface-birth-american-stereotype
Office of Children and Family Services, (n.d.). Discrimination Prevention. https://ocfs.ny.gov/main/employment/eodd.php?TSPD_101_R0=084c043756ab20005dd95db630c41693e59c95f0de8852a4fc91f43796be1f21561f19089a6574db08371bb8eb143000d8b2feced42aae12e1db55bbd6f1ec72eb3803825490bf64e3f020782442c45a60b4576574f3ea98068d635bbe700920#:~:text=Protected classes include: race, creed,familial status, and gender identity.
Ong, T. (2019, February 27). Gucci ceo faces blackface backlash: ‘we made a mistake, a big one’. Queen Marry University of London. https://www.qmul.ac.uk/lac/our-legal-blog/items/gucci-ceo-faces-blackface-backlash-we-made-a-mistake-a-big-one.html
Youtube: Davis ,V. (2007, February 3). Bob johnson transsexual - holiday inn's 1997 super bowl ad. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FhjgxjAJxU
YouTube: Today. (2024, May 10). Bruised apple: tech giant apologizes over new ipad ad. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGY647T1FKo
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