From Pepsi to Nivea: when advertising leads to confusion
The Pepsi is about the protests caused a scandal, but the manufacturer of soda was not the first company that had to apologize and blush for their advertising.
Commercial for Pepsi featuring model and reality star Kendall Jenner caused a storm of indignation and accusations of bad taste.
The company was forced to apologize and terminate the rental roller, which, according to critics, was a profanation of the recent protests held in the United States.
The plot of the movie, Jenner participating in a photo shoot, leaving the set to join the demonstration, held surrounded by reinforced police cordons. Protest against what the demonstrators (also model appearance), and remains unclear, but they clearly depict the increasing tension towards the police, while Jenner does not offer the guards a jar of Pepsi-Cola. The coming conflict is discharged to everyone’s delight.
In a statement posted on the website, the company says that Pepsi did not put before itself a problem to put serious issues in a frivolous light.
Over the past two years in the United States periodically flare up protests, mostly organized by the movement “black Lives matter” against the use of force by the police against African Americans.
Pepsi joins a long list of corporations that have been subjected to harsh criticism because of the advertising, insensitive, and sometimes offensive to certain groups.
The company is a manufacturer of cosmetics from Germany Nivea was also forced to apologize for advertising on Facebook (the record was already deleted) of his deodorant, which stated: “White — sign of purity.”
German skin care brand Nivea has pulled an ad with the tagline “White Is Purity” after an internet outcry https://t.co/3OlEMbrscP pic.twitter.com/yllLNmkpf5
— BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) April 6, 2017
The company immediately accused of discrimination and “racial faux pas”.
In Britain, for “blatant sexism” activists criticised a supermarket chain Co-op — for is chocolate Easter eggs, which urged parents to “encourage daughter because she washed the dishes.”
Wow! Co-op demonstrating outrageous sexism!! @EverydaySexism pic.twitter.com/jPFjdjgi4A
— Ronnie Morris (@VeronicaMorris2) 4 APR 2017
Company Cadbury has come under fire because of advertising, dedicated to Easter, was taken the very name of the holiday.
All these campaigns are now in the “Pantheon of bad publicity” and regularly updated by the British Directorate of advertising standards ASA. Here are a few examples of marketing failures from the recent past.
“Snickers”
TV advertising chocolate bars “Snickers” with the participation of famous black American actor and wrestler Mr. T in his most famous image of Sergeant B. A. of Barakus from the TV series “the a-Team” has been removed from the show after it was deemed offensive to gays.
The advertising slogan of the company: “You need the nuts!” (in the English slang word “nuts” has the same meaning in Russian, “eggs”)
In this video, Mr. T throws the candy bar at the man in the yellow shorts, sport walking, shouting: “You’re a disgrace to male kind. It’s time to start running like a normal man!”.
The Mars Corporation, which owns the Snickers brand, issued a statement which said that the movie was intended to be funny, but “humor is very subjective”.
Dunkin’ Donuts
In the United States and many other Western countries, such a poster would cause immediate rage and accusations of racism.
However, in Thailand, the portrait of a girl with painted black face and bright pink lipstick, touting “coal-black donut”, caused no furor.
Charcoal Donut.. pic.twitter.com/avBxhYRh1c
— ruben pasten jrz (@PastenRuben) September 1, 2013
The head of the Thai franchise, operating under the brand Dunkin’ Donuts, whose daughter acted as a model for this poster, he said in response to claim: “I did not understand. Why all the fuss about? What if the product was white and the girl would be painted white, it too would be regarded as racism?”.
Nevertheless, the press Secretary of the head of the company apologized.
At the time of racial segregation in the United States blacks were not admitted to such a prestigious profession, like the actor of theatre or cinema, and the role blacks played mostly white actors with black makeup on his face.
Today this technique is considered offensive in the West. At the same time in some Asian countries, this method is still used. Last year, the company in China used it in advertising of washing powder.
Chinese is bleach
Ford India
The us carmaker was forced to apologize publicly about the advertising poster, depicting three related girls gagged in the trunk of a car.
Behind the wheel of the car was former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, grinning and showing two raised fingers.
If you haven’t seen the Ford India Ad featuring Berlusconi then check this out. pic.twitter.com/WjAZobBuVN
— TobiasABowman (@TobiasBowman) March 25, 2013
The new hatchback is Ford Fido was posted online shortly after India had passed a law on violence against women, the impetus for which was the gang rape that led to the death of the victim.
Singapore: own goal
This social is aimed against gambling, was awarded a place on the “hall of fame” (or infamy) advertising thanks to the countless jokes it spawned.
The advertisement was timed to the world Cup 2014. On it was pictured a boy complaining to friends that his dad put all of his childhood savings on Germany winning. The problem was that Germany did win.
The government of Singapore has edited the commercials, but after she ridiculed around the world.
A false start in French
You need to make great efforts to cause astonishment in France — a country which, according to many, differs perhaps the most relaxed of all in Europe.
However promotional campaign of 2010 aimed at controlling Smoking among adolescents, hinting at oral sex, it seems, failed. According to one Minister, this is outrageous violated any rules of decency.
French anti-smoking advert. pic.twitter.com/BHdesdpkGU
— Carlos (@Carlosblur) January 30, 2015
Critics have said that such images with such explicit sexual allusions contribute to the transformation of the ordinary into the public consciousness the sexual exploitation of minors.
Fortunately, since then, anti-Smoking propaganda consists mainly of images of human organs affected by different diseases.
United Colors of Benetton
Advertising campaign Benetton Unhate under the slogan (literally — “rasnoavei”) at the time of launch in 2011 was driven by the best intentions.
However, one of the posters of the Italian firm for the production of clothing obviously overdid it with photoshop.
The company received a warning after it portrayed the Pope XIV Benedict kissing an Imam from Egypt. The Vatican called the promotional poster is completely unacceptable and threatened legal action.
Pope Benedict XVI and Egypt’s Ahmed Mohamad el-Tayeb. #UNHATE by Benetton. pic.twitter.com/wBaV900f0N
— Controversial (@pic_controversy) July 28, 2013
“This is not only detrimental to the dignity of the Pope and the Catholic Church, but also the feelings of believers”, — said in a statement the Holy see.
After that Benetton has withdrawn this particular images from the advertising campaign, which is still ongoing.
The white house also expressed dissatisfaction with posters that depicted the then US President Barack Obama, however, the company decided to leave them as is.
Benetton Unhate Ads – Hugo Chavez and Obama pic.twitter.com/9bfQsSI2
— Red Perez (@vivalareyna) November 17, 2011
Moreover under fire in Britain recently got the is the manufacturer supplements Protein World, depicting an unusually slender girl in a bikini with the slogan: “your body ready for beach season?”.
Protein World’s ‘beach body ready’ ad wasn’t even close to being 2015’s most offensivehttps://t.co/vpgAdjVdPM pic.twitter.com/GPm8nZ2q6s
— Huffington Post UK (@HuffPostUK) February 23, 2016
The poster was accused of “bodyshaping” (the humiliation of people with faulty figure), after which the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has banned all subordinated to the municipality sites ads with a picture of half-naked bodies, as well as “forming the audience unrealistic or unhealthy expectations about their own capabilities”.
In Russia last year a lot of sarcastic comments caused a poster advertising the national carrier, which was photographed the crematorium of the temple complex of Wat Chalong on Phuket island with the caption “Aeroflot delivers.”
But shortly before the New year resentment in Runet was caused a promotional video of the Moscow credit Bank, in which Santa Claus at the request of a little girl kidnaps her excessively occupied with working mother to bring her child.
Women’s rights advocates found the video, conceived as an innocent Christmas tale, a manifestation of sexism.
Video credit Bank of Moscow
How to avoid embarrassment?
We live in a time when racial, gender or sexual orientation have become extremely sensitive issues.
What are the possibilities of the companies to, on the one hand, to attract attention, and with another — not to inadvertently hurt anyone’s feelings?
David Meikle, the founder of the consulting firm in the field of marketing Salt, doubts that Pepsi or will suffer in the long term as a result of the failure of her “protest” is.
News
New commercial Pepsi with Kendall Jenner removed from the Network due to scandalo the opinion of the audience, a new video has become one of the most unsuccessful for all history of the company.
“It seems that Pepsi has coped fairly well with the scandal, withdrawing the roller and apologizing, he says. — And the most important thing in this case is the speed and determination with which the company reacted to criticism”.
Expert in marketing with 20 years experience Simon Kemp agrees that Pepsi did an admirable job with the confusion, however, warns that all eyes will be focused now on their next advertising campaign.
“I believe that Pepsi has over the years managed to create a reputation as a legitimate company, and loyal customers, this time will forgive this mistake. At the same time, it is possible that it will not be forgotten as quickly as it would like firm — reflects the expert. — Although the real test will be their next advertising campaign. And Pepsi will need to approach it very carefully”.