The Most Insensible and Unsuccessful Marketing Creative Campaigns of 2016 in the U.S.

By Rossana Ulloa

Sometimes we wonder how some campaigns are published with such a lack of empathy towards their audience?

There are creative directors and brand managers who have apparently forgot the basics of advertising, and have launched their creations without making research about their audience’s wants and needs. It is worth remembering that the main purpose of commercial ads is to attract as many customers as possible by selling a service, product, or idea. Consequently, in the marketing industry it is a matter of common sense to not offend customers. This being said, the year 2016 is not officially over, and several creative campaigns are already giving a lot to talk about in the U.S. due to absence of sensitivity towards people.

“Mighty No.9” Video Game Trailer Insults Anime Fans, Meaning their Fans. 

There is a thin line between a strong tone and a rude tone. Recently, Deep Silver announced the launching of “Mighty No.9” video game. Throughout their commercial the narrator annoyingly screams an improvised speech, describing the video game features using bad language. Also, he mistakenly makes offensive comments against Anime fans, which are their fans, by saying “…make the bad guys cry like an anime fan on prom night.” The trailer was globally criticized; it was disliked by 39,840 viewers on YouTube with only 4,863 likes. “Mighty No.9” may be a tremendous video game, but contemplating the facts gains no consumers. Advertising a product by insulting the base audience, could be found as a disrespectful and brainless practice. 

Renuance Cosmetic Surgery Center’s “Size Matters” Billboard: Offensive and Sexist

Recently, The Renuance Cosmetic Surgery Center in LA, paid for a billboard that shows two cups of coffee, the smaller one label B, the bigger one label D with the caption. “Size matters”. The ad captures the attention of many people who found it offensive and sexist. As a matter of fact, Anna Gorski, a high school student, started a petition to have it taken down after she stated on Change.org “This billboard is demeaning, objectifying, and inappropriate as it attacks women’s bodies and promotes low self-esteem”. In response to this and multiple other complaints, Dr. Eichenberg, who created the billboard, defended himself and told CBS “It’s meant to be a joke or satire… we don’t want women to honestly think that ‘size matters”. Isn’t his statement hypocritical? Also, what may seem fun for some of his customers, may not necessarily be fun for women in general.

Skittles Brand Reacts to Trump Jr’s Hateful Tweet Against Syrian Refugees 

Donald Trump Jr., was criticized for using a Skittles’ image to make a hateful tweet towards Syrian refugee’s situation after they were recently accepted in the U.S. He made what he considered to be an accurate analogy by posting a meme that said “If I had a bowl of Skittles and I told you just three would kill you. Would you take a handful? That’s our Syrian Refugee Problem”. Denis Young, executive of the Skittles brand, clarified to The Hollywood Reporter, that they were not in accordance with Trump Jr and said “Skittles are candy. Refugees are people. We don’t feel like it’s an appropriate analogy”. Also, David Kittos, the photographer and ironically a refugee, told the BBC that he did not support Trump Jr’s politics and that he had no permission to use his picture. By being in the sight of many people, Trump Jr’s hateful message will most likely not be forgotten by those whom he has discriminated against and others as well.

Miracle Mattress’ Closed After Posting Insensitive 9/11 TV Commercial – “Twin Tower Sale”

It can be said that tragic events should never be seen as an opportunity for commercial benefit. The Texas Miracle Mattress store thought that it would be funny to create a thematic product sale by recreating the 9/11attacks. They took advantage of this date, and promoted their products through an advertising campaign in which they equated the price of their biggest mattresses to a twin mattress. The commercial ended with two store employees screaming and falling over two towers made of mattresses, while the store manager Cherise Bonanno said, “We will never forget.” The commercial was impertinent with the memories of people who lost their lives in such a tragic event and their loved ones. Due to the criticism that the store received, they apologized and decided to closed indefinitely. Mike Bonanno, the owner, said: “We take full responsibility for our actions and sincerely regret the hurt and pain caused by this disrespectful advertising campaign”.

After seeing these advertising campaigns one might question the sensitivity of these people.

We must remember that in the Information Age, society is being absorbed by smartphones just waiting for any scandalous thing to happen. This is a double-edged sword when it comes to advertising, because crappy work will also get the same amount of viewers, or even more than outstanding work. Creatives should be more careful about the approaches they are following for their advertising campaigns in order to successfully represent their audience’s values, and positively inspire them rather than denigrate of them. 

This said, 2016 has clearly brought more than a few insensitive and unsuccessful campaigns. if you are reading this article to avoid making such mistakes, Contact Miami Ad School for more valuable information. Positively, you end up helping to reduce the number of disasters in the advertising industry.