Article:
Even the Sharpest Brands Can Make Mistakes: 4 Examples of Branding Fails in 2024
It’s sometimes hard to say if a brand campaign was really a mistake. The fact that people criticize a design or an ad on social media doesn’t mean it failed. Sometimes brands court controversy precisely to get people talking. The criticism will ebb away, and what people will remember is the brand name.
01. Coca-Cola
Being one of the first big brands to use AI video generation for an ad campaign guaranteed headlines, ensuring more coverage than it would have gotten by repeating the same classic ‘Holidays are Coming’ ad it had been using for 30 years, but Coca-Cola’s AI Christmas ad was a messy and risky move.
Firstly, a lot of people really hate AI – enough to take the conscious decision not to buy Coca-Cola because of an ad. Secondly, AI video is still a glitchy, cheap-looking mess. Even the Coca-Cola logo got messed up in the ad. What sets Coca-Cola above generics if it doesn’t care about its own brand? But worst of all, the ‘artificial’ in ‘artificial intelligence’ directly contradicts years of brand positioning around the concept of authenticity, first as ‘It’s the Real Thing’ and more recently ‘Real Magic’. Also, by using AI, the brand was just opening itself to pastiches and mockery.
02. Spotify
It felt like Spotify was getting desperate in 2024. The company changed the way people consume music by making on-demand streaming practical and convenient, but its expansion into podcasts and video content to try to compete with the likes of YouTube could see it lose its way.
As reported by the Verge, there have already been complaints of porn videos cropping up in search results. The platform’s also been alienating users with creepy AI hosts for Spotify Wrapped and an infuriating UI change. To top it off, it’s been claimed that the brand has been stifling criticism of its business model by taking legal action to shut down the protest website Spotify Unwrapped, which aimed to highlight how little Spotify pays artists.
03. Bumble
It can be hard for a dating app to get the right tone, but Bumble had been doing it… until its controversial ‘anti-celibacy’ ads. Alongside a video about a nun who falls for a hunky gardener, the campaign featured billboards with phrases like "You know full well a vow of celibacy is not the answer".
The campaign got people talking, but it trashed Bumble’s reputation as a sensitive dating app that empowered women and promoted safe and healthy connections. The response was so negative that Bumble withdrew the ads and issued an apology.
04. Apple
Finally, Apple was another big brand that alienated core parts of its customer base in 2024, again as a result of some poorly considered advertising. A brand normally known for its originality promoted the power and slimness of its latest iPad Pro by copying an old LG advert and crushing a whole bunch of creative tools.
"The destruction of the human experience. Courtesy of Silicon Valley," the actor Hugh Grant tweeted about the ad. "THIS SHIT IS ACTUALLY PSYCHOTIC," the Handmaid’s Tale director Reed Morano wrote more bluntly. It was a strange misstep for a brand that’s used emotional branding so astutely over the years.
Conclusion:
Even the sharpest brands can make mistakes, but it’s how they recover from those mistakes that matters. These four examples show that, despite their best efforts, brands can still alienate their core customers and damage their reputation. By understanding what went wrong and learning from their mistakes, brands can come back stronger and more resilient than ever.
FAQs:
Q: Can a brand’s reputation recover from a branding fail?
A: Yes, but it depends on how the brand responds to the crisis. By acknowledging the mistake, apologizing, and making changes to prevent similar mistakes in the future, a brand can recover and regain its customers’ trust.
Q: What can a brand do to avoid making a branding fail?
A: A brand can avoid making a branding fail by understanding its target audience, being authentic, and being transparent. By focusing on what matters most to its customers and being true to its values, a brand can build trust and loyalty with its audience.
Q: Can a brand’s reputation recover from a branding fail if it’s a one-time mistake?
A: Yes, if the brand learns from the mistake and makes changes to prevent similar mistakes in the future. A one-time mistake can be forgiven if the brand shows that it’s committed to doing better in the future.
