Marketing agencies want to create an ad campaign that goes viral.
However, sometimes these campaigns go viral for the wrong reason and end horribly.
The majority of ad
campaigns that have dramatically backfired have caught the media’s attention
because of their suggestion of rape, but throughout the decades there have been
a variety of interesting campaigns developed by marketing agencies that have caught the
public’s attention for the wrong reasons.
Fashion companies often find themselves involved with controversy when
it comes to their ads. They commonly use models that create backlash because of
their unhealthily skinny weight. Some companies such as Calvin Klein and Dolce
& Gabbana have gone even further than this and produced campaigns that
depict women being raped. An ad released in 2010 went viral and was then banned
for its promotion of rape. This isn’t the first time that Calvin Klein has
found itself in the crossfire. In the 1990’s the company produced a series of
ads that suggested pedophilia. The FBI had to become involved in order
investigate child pornography charges.
It’s no question that marketing agencies produced very different
content in the 1950’s than they do now. However, one advertisement created was
a little too extreme and still sticks out today. Seven-Up ran an ad that
suggested mothers to feed their babies Seven-Up soda instead of breast milk or
baby formula. The ad relayed that the soda had wholesome ingredients that could
benefit the babies and would also please the baby’s taste buds.
Bloomingdales released a more recent ad that had horrible outcomes in
the fall of 2015. It featured a man staring a woman who was laughing into the distance
with the words, “Spike your best friend’s eggnog when they’re not looking”. With the rise of awareness surrounding
date rape, it is amazing that marketing agencies are still producing content
perpetuating it.
Bud Light found itself in a problematic position in regards to
promoting rape as well. They created the catchphrase, “Up for Whatever” in
attempt to encourage spontaneity. Unfortunately for them, the public viewed it
as encouraging rape culture. This
is primarily to do with the tagline on the label that read, “The perfect beer
for removing ‘no’ from your vocabulary for the night”. This was especially concerning to the
public because Bud Light is a popular drink on college campuses where rape is
very prevalent, something marketing agencies should be aware of before
releasing an ad.
Another drink company, Pepsi, received a large amount of backlash in
2011 when they produced, ‘Pepsi Slims’ for New York’s Fashion Week. Announcing
a new product is a frequently used tactic for marketing agencies but in this
case it had very negative outcomes. The slogan used was, ““Our slim, attractive new
can is the perfect complement to today’s most stylish looks”, which promotes
the idea that it is necessary to be skinny to be fashionable, and in turn
perpetuates eating disorders.
Emily Leavens writes for Fusion 360, an SEO and content marketing
agency. She writes for many other clients as well. Follow
on Twitter.
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