Advertising Campaigns Gone Terribly Wrong

Usually advertising campaigns are thought out and promote a company or agency in a successful way. But occasionally, one will go horribly wrong and gain attention from people in Utah to New York. Here are just a few examples of advertising campaign fails.

Casa Sanchez Tattoo Campaign

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Casa Sanchez, a popular taqueria in California, posted a sign in their window stating that anyone who got a tattoo of their logo would receive free lunch for life, not thinking anyone would take it seriously. In reality, 40 people ended up getting the tattoo, losing the company millions of dollars.

Snapple Popsicle Meltdown

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As a way to promote their juices and teas, Snapple decided to break the world record of biggest Popsicle in the world. Unfortunately, the company decided to display the 35,000 pound popsicle in New York City in the middle of summer, resulting in sticky juices spilling all over the streets.

Aqua Teen Hunger Force Fail

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Cartoon Network’s advertising agency wanted to promote their new show Aqua Teen Hunger Force so it placed electronic circuit boards of the characters on bridges in Boston. Unfortunately, train passengers mistook them as bombs, causing chaos in the city.

Cocaine Energy Drink

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Instead of using a traditional marketing campaign, this agency decided to name its new highly caffeinated energy beverage Cocaine and let news networks advertise for them. Unfortunately, this resulted in a lawsuit between the company and the FDA.

Hold Your Wee for a Wii

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KDND 107.9 radio station came up this brilliant advertising campaign to promote their station. They challenged contestants to see how much water they could drink without having to go to the bathroom. The winner would win a Nintendo Wii gaming system. Unfortunately, one of the contestants died from water intoxication, resulting in a lawsuit against the station.

Anthrax: Shock and Awe Terror

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Marc Keyser, writer of Anthrax: Shock and Awe Terror decided to mail his book along with a packet of sugar marked “anthrax” to 120 individuals as a marketing stunt. Unfortunately, the recipients took it seriously resulting in a lawsuit against the author and jail time. His book did gain attention from individuals from Utah to Florida, but not in the way he would have wanted.

Vitamin Water Fail

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In 2013, Vitamin Water launched a campaign to its French and English speaking drinkers. It put words and phrases under the caps that could be collected to make sentences. One unfortunate cap said, “You retard”. Retard, meaning late in French, was lost in translation the American consumer who opened the bottle who was deservedly outraged.

Carl’s Jr. Objectifying Women

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Carl’s Jr.’s commercials have long displayed very attractive women eating their burgers and sandwiches. Unfortunately, in recent months, with more women speaking out against the objectification of women, the company has been getting more criticism than praise. Two women from Utah recently started a campaign against the company’s ad tactics.

Kate Giolas is a writer at Fusion 360, an advertising agency in Utah. Find her on Google+.