Three Big Marketing Fails (And How You Can Avoid Them)

An idea can sound great when presented in a conference room, but when you get it out there... sometimes what you thought was a great idea can go terribly wrong in so many ways.

Whether it’s the execution, the underlying marketing strategy or how customers perceive it, the end result can be a complicated mess that can hurt your brand.

Here are three epic marketing fails made by global companies – which just goes to show that everyone makes marketing mistakes.  We’ve broken each down so you can learn from them.

1. Gap’s Logo Redesign

In 2010, iconic brand Gap replaced its 20-year-old logo with a new one: black, bold font with a blue square in the upper right.

Rebranding an iconic American brand takes extreme care, advanced strategy and most of all customer buy-in BEFORE the big reveal.

Looking at Gap’s new logo are you impressed?

We’re not. The revised design was clunky, awkward and not at all classic – nor does it embrace any of the original brand’s attributes (their ad agency made so many mistakes in their rebrand we scarcely know where to begin!)

According to this Vanity Fair article, it was Gap’s attempt to transition from “classic, American design to modern, sexy, cool,” but it was immediately rejected by consumers, to the point of someone creating a satirical Gap logo Twitter feed and another creating a site called “Crap Logo Yourself.” Gap tried to turn this into a “crowd sourcing project” with the below Facebook post, saying it is “thrilled to see passionate debates unfolding!” and asked followers to share their logo design ideas.

But this is a classic example of “too little too late”.  

Everything about the Gap rebranding project was wrong:

1.   They used the wrong strategy by excluding customer feedback and engagement. You can’t just throw out an iconic brand and replace it with a version the executive think is best, and expect your customers to be ok with it.  Note that customer feedback for a rebrand isn’t required (or recommended) for all branding projects – just with redesigning an iconic brand.

2.   The actual logo design itself was dull, clunky and had no narrative behind it. To us it looked like it had been thrown together in an effore to look “modern” at the time but with no real thought into the longevity of the new logo.  The best rebrand you can do for your business is one that elevates your company’s style, message and position in the market. Gap’s rebrand did none of these.

The customer backlash was so severe that the company switched back to its old logo within six days.

2. Burger King’s Women’s Day tweet

On International Womens Day in 2021, Burger King’s UK division published a Twitter thread where the first tweet said: “Women belong in the kitchen” and was followed by two more tweets, one that said “If they want to, of course” and another that announced their new scholarship program to help women get a degree in culinary arts and reduce the gender gap in the restaurant sector.

Burger King quickly deleted the thread and published a tweet apologizing for their mistake and then explained their intention behind the campaign.

Remember that every social media platform is different. Just because an ad works on Instagram, where the user can see the overall picture straight away, doesn’t mean it will work on Twitter via a single tweet. Also what looks good on desktop could look terrible on mobile so make sure every campaign is carefully tested before launch!

3. AAirpass by American Airlines

In the early 1980s, American Airlines had hit financial trouble and started looking for quick ways to raise capital. The company created an “AAirpass” that offered a lifetime pass of unlimited first-class air travel for a flat rate of $250,000. No restrictions. No catch. No fine print.

If you’re a frequent flyer that might sound pretty appealing, right?

Except it didn’t turn out so well for American Airlines. Unlike today where airlines put in place a large number of restrictions to protect themselves from financial losses, the AAirpass was truly limitless and its membership was life-long.

The result? American Airlines started losing millions of dollars due to the high volume of flights taken by AAirpass holders. It started an investigation to see whether there was any way they could revoke the membership of the frequent flyers, but people were outraged and lawsuits started flying.

In a nutshell, American Airlines’ embarked on a sound strategy to raise capital but it didn’t think through the execution properly. This campaign could have been exceptional for the airline but instead resulted in huge financial losses and outraged customers.

Marketing Fails Are In The Details

Every business wants to stand out, but unless you take your time and fully think through your ideas and plans, you run the risk of going viral for the wrong reasons.

Whether you’re a global brand or a local store, the biggest takeaway here is the same: 

Pay attention to the details. Be careful how you present your message. Be careful how you launch your campaign. Don’t assume that just because you and your staff love an advertising campaign, that your customers will too. The strategy underpinning your marketing campaign is critical. Always start with marketing strategy first.