http://www.cracked.com/article_21245_5-creative-marketing-promotions-that-failed-spectacularly.html?ref_src=email
The examples are
#5. Jagermeister Sponsors a Pool Party, Turns the Water into Poison
Where Jagermeister tried to have a fun promotional party by pouring liquid nitrogen into a pool to have liquid smoke come off of the top of the water. 5 people were severely injured because this gas is poisonous to humans. 1 person actually went into a coma.
#4. United Way Drops 1.5 Million Balloons All Over Cleveland
Where a nice charity project turned into a disaster when it turned into a downpour, and then the coast guard was looking for two lost boaters (all of the balloons look just like bobbling heads!)
#3. Guns N' Roses Calls Dr Pepper's Bluff
In 2008, Dr. Pepper stated that if Guns N' Roses could released their album in 1 years time, they would give away to every American. They made this bet assuming it wouldn't come to fruition. IT did. They couldn't afford to give away a soft beverage to every single American.
#2. American Airlines Accidentally Lets People Fly Free Forever
For $250,000, AA offered a package where you could buy unlimited first class seats anywhere in the world. For an extra $150,000, you could buy a buddy pass with no restrictions to who could use it or how. They figured only a few CEOs would shell out the cash, but in reality normal quiet rich people took advantage of the deal. One guy even flew from America to London 16 times in a month just because he could.
#1. Just for Feet's Superbly Racist Super Bowl Ad
Just for Feet aired an ad where basically a white man knocks out and "tags" a black man like cattle.
What do these marketing decisions have in common?
Innovation
Creativity
Testing market norms
Groupthink
These ideas had the potential to bring companies to the next level of customer interaction/ relation. In a large office, someone or a small group of people came together and created this idea. They ran it by their boses, who liked it, and sent it up the ladder. Their pitch was good enough to gain positive reactions from a number of people that came across it. Many people invested themselves into this effort. Some may have even had careers riding on these ads and marketing displays.
Luckily. These marketing flaws have an upside. There is a lot to be learned from these scenarios.
It's important to recognize that:
-for each catastrophic failure, there are countless successes that go unnoticed by the public eye. Celebrating personal wins and conducting a post-morteum to analyze why it worked will benefit you in future endeavors.
-hard work and effort aren't the only things that go into making a worthwhile contribution. There must be solid logic to back everything up. Ask those lingering questions and consult experts to ensure that there are modifications to your game plan if It rains on your parade (or balloon drop in the case of the United Way)
-confidence is key. But confidence isn't everything. Groupthink is powerful and can stifle creative vision as well as take a great idea and warp it into a socially inexcusable Super Bowl advertisement.
-your career hinges on you. Bring your best self to the table every day. Dream big, but plan small. Breaking down your projects into smaller milestones or checkpoints will make sure that all of the realistic details are being smoothed out along the way instead of losing hundreds of thousands of dollars due to incorrect forecasts for your availability or interest.
-only make promises you can keep
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