Advertising is a delicate balance, and it’s easy to overlook one little thing and have a campaign go completely awry. Ad campaigns are powerful tools for building brand awareness and engaging audiences, but when they miss, they can lead to equally powerful problems, from public backlash to damaged reputations. To avoid these kinds of mistakes, let’s see what we can learn from some recent campaigns that missed the mark.
Ad Campaign Failures
Apple’s “Crush” Commercial
In May, Apple released an ad promoting its new iPad Pro that featured a hydraulic press crushing “just about every creative instrument artists and consumers have used over the years – from a piano and record player to piles of paint, books, cameras and relics of arcade games,” according to U.S. News. And in their place appears a shiny new iPad Pro. Apple immediately faced immense backlash for showcasing “technology crushing human creativity.” To critics, this campaign came off as extremely tone-deaf in an era filled with fear surrounding AI and its role in our society. Apple ended up pulling the ad from TV and issuing an apology.
So what can we learn? Marketers and advertisers need to remind ourselves who our audience is. In this case, one of Apple’s main audiences is creatives, “professionals working in specialized software like music, video, photography, and all kinds of design careers.” In trying to highlight the iPad’s thinness, Apple failed to recognize how destruction of creative elements would play.
Levi’s Lalaland.ai Partnership
In 2023, Levi’s partnered with a firm that specializes in creating AI-generated fashion models. After the campaign’s release, they received copious backlash and criticism such as “lazy,” “problematic” and “racist.” Levi’s stated that in using AI-generated models they were able to foster inclusivity with diverse body types and skin tones, but again this was not how it was received.
In this case, AI was seen as “depriving real people of opportunities” and seemed like an inadequate response to the importance of diversity in marketing campaigns. The biggest thing we can take from this is understanding the human aspect. “AI representation cannot be at the expense of already marginalized groups,” one marketing professional wrote. It’s important to have diverse perspectives during campaign development to spot potential missteps.
The “Bud Light Boycott”
Last year, Bud Light partnered with Dylan Mulvaney, a transgender TikTok star, with a campaign that is now widely considered one of the most talked-about brand failures in 2023. This promotional campaign “quickly turned sour” when Mulvaney received transphobic backlash from conservatives. On the other hand, LGBTQ+ communities and allies criticized Bud Light for not standing by Mulvaney or addressing the issue in a prompt manner.
Bud Light faced criticism for performative allyship that exploited a marginalized group to earn sales. The takeaways here are that if you’re going to highlight allyship or any societal issue that might face controversy, you’d better do it in an authentic way and be ready to defend it.
On the Positive Side
Let’s look at one more recent campaign example that successfully navigated some of the same modern social issues. Tinder’s “It starts with a swipe” campaign focused on repositioning the app as a place for Gen Z to make meaningful connections rather than just hook-ups. They used data from their own users to inform their strategy, knowing that 31% of their Gen Z members are looking for long-term relationships. They also got their intended audience involved in the campaign from its inception, including “a heavy female representation as well as many BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ team members.” This campaign was widely successful as it connected with Gen-Z in a personal and authentic way.
Successful campaigns require a commitment to genuine representation, prioritizing empathy, inclusivity and authenticity, and clear evidence that you really are listening to your audience. For more insights into brand advertising and marketing, sign up for our monthly e-newsletter at the bottom of this page.