Great Brand Blunders

Citation

Kirk Hazlett (2015), "Great Brand Blunders", Journal of Product & Brand Management, Vol. 24 No. 1, pp. 88-89. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBM-05-2014-0582

Great Brand Blunders by Rob Gray is a delightfully thought-provoking, enlightening look at a wide-ranging selection of ill-conceived and/or poorly planned and implemented attempts by organizations to differentiate themselves from their competitors […] with disastrous consequences all around.

Anyone charged with devising or revising marketing initiatives would be well-advised to read, heed and take to heart the experiences described herein in exquisite detail. Each chapter concludes with “Tips and Lessons” that sum up the lessons learned from the hapless “victims” whose colossal branding blunders have been discussed.

From advertising debacles to social media campaigns gone woefully astray to brand extension implosions to inflammatory cultural misinterpretations, Great Brand Blunders provides a wonderful catalog of how not to market a product or service.

Chapter 1, “Awful Advertising”, introduces the reader to disasters ranging from Virgin Mobile USA’s ill-conceived US-focused campaign that appeared to link date rape with Sir Richard Brandon’s cherished brand to Strand cigarette’s apparent declaration that this new entrant into the smoking market was ideal for losers and loners. Lesson learned? Among others, “Humour can make an ad memorable and create affection for a brand. But it can also offend” (p. 22).

Next, in Chapter 2, “What’s the Deal?”, we focus on sales promotions run amok. Dr Pepper gets honorable mention in this delightful discussion with its campaign that, among other dubious accomplishments, led dozens of eager scavenger hunt participants to an old and revered cemetery in Boston, Massachusetts, known as the “Granary Burying Ground”. The stunt brought on the wrath of Boston’s civic leaders and others with the comment by Boston Parks Commissioner Toni Pollak setting the tone: “It absolutely is disrespectful. It’s an affront to the people who are buried there, our nation’s ancestors” (p. 37). “Make sure you have a realistic estimate of consumer take-up”, cautions the author (p. 44).

Social media is playing a bigger and bigger role in marketing initiatives, and Chapter 3, “Preventing a Social Media Backlash”, takes a look at misguided missteps by such “A-List” brands as McDonald’s, Kenneth Cole and KitchenAid. From nice-idea “#MeetTheFarmers” promos to poorly planned “Arab Spring” connections, these hapless marketers learned very quickly that intentions and perceptions do not always enjoy a peaceful relationship.

The take-home on social media marketing? “Be very careful if you are looking to exploit the news agenda/trending topics” (p. 77).

Successful companies are perpetually on the quest for bigger, better or both. But launching that new product can be fraught with peril, and Chapter 4, “When NPD Stands for New Product Disaster”, provides examples ranging from the ill-fated Apple Maps to the now iconically disastrous Ford Edsel. Timing, planning and unanticipated bugs in the system brought these products into the public and onto their respective knees in near-record time. As the author says so concisely in this chapter’s “Tips and Lessons”, “Just because you can do it doesn’t mean you should do it” (p. 97).

Target audience engagement is universally accepted as a prime way to generate leads and spark sales […] as long as that engagement is well and logically thought out. “Stupid Stunts”, Chapter 5, is proof-positive that “stupid is as stupid does”. Boston was once again the unfortunate victim, this time of a guerilla marketing campaign that left commuters panicked and law enforcement officials perturbed when Cartoon Network, an organization of otherwise sensible marketing pros, decided to promote a movie spinoff from the series “Aqua Teen Hunger Force” by stealthily placing supposedly promotional LED placards on such vulnerable structures as interstate highway supports and bridges. The resulting reaction by post-9/11 security forces resulted in major disruption of commuter traffic in and around Boston. In light of the $2 million fine incurred by Cartoon Network, others would be well-advised to remember, among other things, “Make sure your activity is legal” (p. 112).

As the old advertising jingle for petroleum giant “Esso” happily announced, “There’ll be some changes made”, and, indeed, a name-change brought “Exxon” onto the scene. But, as Gray points out in Chapter 6, “Regrettable Branding”, not all change is as successful. Witness the woes of iconic British transportation giant, British Airways, which, in the mid-1990s, opted to no longer display its nation’s flag on its aircraft […] to the vocal displeasure of many, including former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. “A big clue that you have a truly difficult situation on your hands is when the person wielding the censorious handkerchief is the former leader of your country and her disdain for your fresh brand image is captured on TV cameras and broadcast on the evening news” (p. 114). Simple lesson for all who are considering brand overhaul? “Think twice before dispensing with a name, logo, or brand image that has served you well in the past” (p. 132).

Things are not always as they seem, says the tried-and-proven adage, and Chapter 7, “Can You Believe It?”, examines attempts, intentional or not, by marketers to portray their products in as near-perfect a light as possible. Beauty products L’Oreal and Dior, along with German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung, share the spotlight in this wide-ranging look at companies whose advertising claims challenge credibility and […] sometimes […] legal guidelines. From print ad retouching to “enhanced” models’ eyelashes […] and other physical attributes […] to paying bloggers to write positive comments about one’s new iPhone app, lessons learned include “Never lie to the public, even if that means losing an element of impact or surprise in a campaign. Long-term brand reputation is more important than short-term gain” (p. 153).

“One of the biggest tasks in marketing is to take a brand associated with a particular target audience, with all the perceptions and baggage that entails, and make it appealing to another audience” (p. 155). Chapter 8, “Wide of the Mark”, introduces blunders and missteps from such brand icons as Mercedes, Molson Coors Brewing Company and French food giant Danone who, in a moment of apparent hunger-driven madness, decided to promote and display its new yoghurt-based skincare product, “Essensis”, on supermarket shelves next to its edible version of the same ingredient. “In our beauty-obsessed world, there probably is a place for a product like Essensis; however, that place is somewhere more stylish and exclusive than the supermarket” (p. 163). The marketing lesson in this and similar mishaps is “Be clear on who your audience is and how your product sits in the marketplace – segmentation, targeting and positioning are cornerstones of marketing best practice” (p. 171).

The “Evian Water Bra” just sounds too good to be true when it comes to misguided marketing maneuvers, but it was […] and is […] the lead example in Chapter 9, “Baffling Brand Extensions”. To quote the author, “Someone really ought to have poured cold water all over the idea” (p. 173 and dozens of other similarly inane initiatives intended to reach new target markets including short-lived “Colgate Kitchen Entrees” and Harley Davidson perfumes! Marketers would be well-advised to answer this question before diving off on an extension of a strong brand: “Is there a compelling reason to stretch your brand? Could a new brand without any baggage do a better job?” (p. 185).

“Lost in Translation”, Chapter 10, explores cross-cultural marketing minefields and not-so-simple linguistic challenges. “Sometimes brands trying to address the cultural sensitivities of a market can end up tying themselves in knots. That’s what happened to Swedish furniture retailer Ikea in October 2012 when it came to light that women had been airbrushed out of pictures in the Saudi Arabian edition of its product catalogue” (p. 188).On the translation side of the equation, says the author, “Italian mineral water company Traficante had some undesirable fans in Spain – where traficante means drug dealer” (p. 194).

One simple but often overlooked tip: “Don’t rely on Google Translate or other free online tools to create local language content. Always use a professional service and ask a native speaker to check the results” (p. 202).

“Unwise refinement and marketing U-turns” (Chapter 11), looks at tinkering done to highly successful consumer brands based on a perception that the competition is “getting too close”. And Coca-Cola […] the granddaddy of iconic brands […] earns star billing with its 1980s introduction of the ill-fated “New Coke”. As the author points out, “People were flabbergasted that Coke had tinkered with the make-up of a brand that meant so much to them; outraged that it had touched a piece of thirst-quenching culture many believed should have been unassailable” (p. 208). A clear and all-too-often ignored piece of advice from the author: “Research customer opinion before making any significant changes to major products or brand strategy” (p. 226).

The final chapter, “Conclusion”, is a summation of “lessons learned” from great brands that have taken what, at the time and to them, was a smart or logical move to strengthen or extend a brand […] with often disastrous results. But, as the author says in closing, “Many of the world’s great brands have made mistakes, only to bounce back stronger than ever. Shame lies not in failing, but in failing to learn from failure” (p. 228).

“Great Brand Blunders” should sit prominently on the bookshelf of every marketing professional to be read and re-read as dictates roll down from above on ways to “improve our market share”.