Great Brand Blunders: The Worst Marketing and Social Meltdowns of All Time … and How to Avoid Them!

Citation

George R. Cook (2015), "Great Brand Blunders: The Worst Marketing and Social Meltdowns of All Time … and How to Avoid Them!", Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 32 No. 4, pp. 304-305. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCM-08-2014-1117

There has been a significant amount of marketing literature on successful brands but not so much on brand blunders and brand miscues. This excellent paperback, written by a distinguished author in the field, has carefully laid out, in detail, some of the major miscues in marketing pertaining to brands – one of the most important elements in the marketing of consumer goods. And as the author has mentioned, even the best of brands run into trouble from time to time and marketing actions have to be taken. By the way, these brand problems impact the best of consumer goods firms – Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Apple, Starbucks, Wal-Mart, Microsoft, etc. Some 175 examples of so-called marketing misadventures across the globe are detailed in this concise 232-page paperback. The author does a nice job at the end of each chapter – providing additional examples of bad advertising and promotional efforts as well as laying out some tips and lessons for those in the business going forward.

With regard to his treatment of “awful advertising”, Gray provides some interesting examples of such firms as Sir Richard Branson’s and his Virgin firm, as well as, things gone wrong with Dale Wurfel and Ford and the California Milk Processor Board (CMPB) and promoting the delivery of calcium in consuming milk. He suggests that humor in ads can be successfully used, but be careful what you say and how you say it. Be cautious of the use of too much sex in ads as well.

With regard to what the author refers to “Out of Control – Sales – Promotions”, and sometimes unintended consequences and results can happen after launching the promotion. Sometimes the promotional offer can be so good that the firm is deluged with respondents and bottom-line costs become out of control. You need to have a good potential estimate of consumer takers at the get go. Several good examples are provided in this regard.

Media backlash can occur in terms of social media platforms, having disastrous results for the firm. There can be a serious mix up in messages, and the author recommends the following: Do not delete criticism – take it on the chin and respond if appropriate; there is no need to respond to every criticism. Be very, very clear about who can and cannot create social media content, and finally, put in place a social media crisis management team and procedures to be implemented in the more serious situations.

NPD in the case of this author does not refer to the New York Police Department but rather to new product disasters that can and will take place from time to time. Some product launches can clearly be overhyped, underwhelming and not what they seem to be – to the consumer. One example here was with Caffeine-free Crystal Pepsi, which did not resonate with targeted consumers; after all why would anyone want to consume a “colorless cola?”

Be careful about using edgy stunts in the promotion of the product, such as the Red Bull example of Felix Baumgartner jumping from the edge of space in 2012. What if he had died in the process instead of conducting a successful jump? Safety is a key criterion in such stunts.

Rebranding is a possibility with all products as an alternative or possible solution to a product’s lackluster sales, but it does not always end up being a successful alternative. The author suggests strongly that you might think twice before dispensing with your current brand, as it has probably served you well in the past and that is how consumers know you. Maybe conduct some focus groups to gain an insight to product problems. If you rebrand, make it relevant and meaningful in a way that perhaps the current brand does not. In 2010, Gap unveiled a new logo online and received many customer complaints and pushback to keep the current logo it had used for some 20 years.

Be careful of making product claims that cannot be substantiated and really amount to fakery, falsification and perhaps scams – they can only, in the long run, amount to potential lawsuits and lost customers. You need to be totally transparent in all marketing and promotional efforts. Your advertising must be accurate and truthful.

Make sure that your brand does not end up being “wide of its intended mark!” Be very clear in terms of the position in the market place you want to occupy. The marketing concept of segmentation, targeting and positioning (STP) is extremely important! There may be an identified gap in the market, an underserved or not yet served segment, but does it really offer you and your product a profitable opportunity? The author offers the Mercedes A Class series as an example of the firm trying to attract a younger audience vs the traditional older segment – Gen Y for instance – and it has been successful.

Many well-known consumer packaged goods (CPG) firms (P & G in particular) have done an excellent job in terms of brand extensions, creating new target markets while creating additional loyalty with current customers. When one thinks of the detergent category for P & G and realizes all of the extensions that have been developed, you have to assume that some, not all, extensions are worth the effort. Look at the Toro brand and all of their successful extensions. But the extension itself must be meaningful and value-oriented in the minds of the target segments.

Some product changes and refinements go sour for the firm, such as Coca-Cola’s “New Coke” introduction in April, 1985, in response to various taste tests that put Pepsi in a more favorable light with consumers than original Coke. We now know that “New Coke” was a disaster, but from the fiasco “Coke Classic” was born and the success of “Coke Classic” is also now well known. Sometimes we overreact to competition! It is a good idea to test market any reformulated product before commercialization. New Coke ran the risk of alienating millions of loyal original coke customers, and it did for a short time period.

In conclusion, all companies are capable of launching ill-thought-out brand campaigns and product redos that have not been well conceived. Research with current customers to determine what is wrong with the current brand is always encouraged and their input should be considered in rebranding or reformatting. Success is at the “end of the tunnel” if and only if proper measures and quality consumer research are exercised before taking action.