30 Viral Marketing Ploys That Didn’t Go So Well

Nowadays it seems like everyone’s goal online is to go viral at some point. Such virality is at its best when it’s organic but hits a terrifying low when it’s forced. Whether it’s a TikTok dance, a time-saving food hack or photobombing an unsuspecting selfie-taker — a viral hit is the name of the game, and corporations have noticed. That’s why some of the world’s most famous brands and iconic companies have taken to the information superhighway to market their goods in rather unconventional ways.

But the risk of going viral isn’t always a good thing — a lesson that some companies have learned the hard way. We’ve seen a $150 chicken nugget pillow, Mattel painting a town pink and one of comic book’s strongest leading women being used to shill weight-loss bars. These are just a few of the marketing ploys that have garnered more backlash than revenue. 

Here are a number of other viral marketing ploys that had everyone talking for all the wrong reasons…