20 Controversial Campaigns That Took a Step Too Far
Marketing can be an art, and that's why it shouldn't be taken lightly. Brands look for the perfect way to advertise their products, trying to reach their core audience and convince outsiders that they're definitely the best there is. In that process, they might lose the focus of what's important, what makes a good message, or what's even legal nowadays. And that's when they make huge mistakes.
Tone-deaf communication in heavily political times, creepy messages no one caught until it was too late, blatant racism and sexism, or just really bad takes from current events are some of the ingredients that can make your ad remembered in time as an awful campaign. And yes, some people say there's no such thing as bad publicity, but these brands haven't tried another ad campaign like the one that sparked backlash and dropped their stock, so maybe there is.
Here are some controversial campaigns that took a step too far.
Live For Now Pepsi Ad (2017)
Kylie Jenner starred in a Pepsi commercial where she leaves a photoshoot and joins a protest just to give a police officer a Pepsi and end racism and inequality forever.
Nivea's White is Purity
The Nivea “White is Purity” campaign for the Middle East sparked backlash for showing a white woman in white clothing and a controversial slogan.
Hyundai's Pipe Job
The car manufacturer ad features a man sealing off his garage and running a hose from the exhaust into the car to end his life, only to get out moments later, completely fine and hydrated. The ad wanted to show the benefits of a car with water-vapor emissions, but it missed the mark.
Heineken's ad
The “Lighter is Better" ad shows a bartender throwing a beer that passes different black people before reaching a lighter-skinned woman.
Gucci's Sweater
Nobody liked that.
Turok: Evolution
Game Developer Acclaim reportedly offered $10,000 to the first UK family that legally named their newborn baby "Turok" to advertise their game.
Burger King Campaign
In 2021, the Burger King UK Twitter account said “Women Belong in the Kitchen” to spark controversy, and moments later, revealed a scholarship for aspiring female chefs. On International Women's Day.
Calvin Klein's ad
Kate Moss starred in a CK ad in 1995, where she's seen in a place that looks like a softcore adult movie, because that was the intent. There's a creepy male voice asking her if she's nervous, which makes everything a lot worse.
Boston Mooninite Panic
To promote Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Cartoon Network spread LED placards featuring Mooninites, pixelated characters from the show, all around Boston. The Police Department thought these were explosives, generating massive chaos in the city.
Bloomingdale's Ad
The 2015 ad included the phrase “Spike your best friend's eggnog when they're not looking,” which wasn't very well received by anyone.
Balenciaga Bondage Bears
The campaign featured kids showing clothes alongside bears wearing bondage accessories. People started scrutinizing the ads, and they even found references to Satan, but that might be reaching.
Love's Baby Soft
“Innocence is sexier than you think” is an unfortunate phrase today and fifty years ago.
Sisley
Depicting two women as fashion junkies.
Moldy Whopper
Burger King wanted to show their burgers were free of preservatives and other chemicals, so they launched a campaign with many pictures showing a Whopper decomposing. The campaign backfired because people don't like watching rotten food.
Starbucks' Collapse into Cool
This 2002 reminded a lot of people of 9/11 for some reason, so they had to take it down.
WWF Tsunami Awareness
World Wildlife Fund Brazil launched a campaign that featured lots of planes heading into the Twin Towers in Manhattan. The idea was to show that the 2004 tsunami took more lives than 9/11.
OK Burger King
A 15-second ad had a Burger King clerk saying, “Ok Google, what is a Whopper burger?” The idea was that people watching anywhere would get the answer on their phones thanks to voice commands. The problem was that the info picked up by Google was from Wikipedia, which is updated by users all around the world, and they did, multiple times.
Shadow Man 2: 2econd Coming
Another Acclaim publicity stunt that cost it everything involved paying families to advertise the Shadow Man 2 game on gravestones. They went one step further by suggesting “poorer” families might be especially interested.
PSP White
Sony released an ad featuring a white woman aggressively grabbing a black woman to promote the latest color of their portable console, but took it down shortly after.
PS Vita ad
They doubled down a couple of years later with the PS Vita and a sexist ad showing a woman with two pairs of breasts.
