Looking for Ideas? Learn from Marketing Blunders

On days when the job of a marketer is frustrating, take heart–somebody, often a major New York, top drawer marketing firm–is doing a far worse job than you. Here are some recent marketing blunders that can only leave heads shaking, but yes they happen.

No One Wants to Play with BofA

It’s not bad enough the banking industry is reeling financially and image wise from the market crash of 2008. Someone who didn’t consult marketing first came up with the idea of charging consumers $5 a month to play with their own money. Consumers rarely agree on anything, but this was one instance where Bank of America managed to unite the whole country against them. And the poor marketing department had to defend the fee, but not for long as BofA was forced to abandon the plan.

Booty Shoes

Just when you thought you heard everything, Reebok and Sketchers come along with sneakers that allegedly shape one’s butt. Who wouldn’t want a pair of these? But Reebok was forced to agree to a $25 million settlement because it’s hard to prove that lacing up a pair of sneakers alone can do what the butt-shaping sneakers were supposed to do. Moral of the story? Just because something sounds like a great idea, doesn’t mean it is one.

Netflix Follies

You might think a hip company like Netflix would be careful about retaining its trendy reputation, but last year the company pulled one of the all-timers, charging separate fees for its streaming video and DVD plans. Consumers greeted the news with an outcry that put Netflix at the top of not sensitive, no longer hip companies that possibly no amount of advertising or PR can erase. Netflix has recovered somewhat with a flat $8 per month plan that covers you across platforms.

New Coke, anyone?

Of course, the all-time marketing blunder that makes you wonder is New Coke. Obviously, the Coke people at some point thought they had to reinvent themselves because Pepsi does so every now and again. Instead of ordering up a fizzy new ad campaign, Coke decided to reinvent the product, which almost killed the brand. The moral of the story is if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.

So the next time you’re stuck for inspiration, sit down and watch a half-hour of TV commercials. Ask yourself why they chose this approach, what they could have done differently, and then apply your new found wisdom to the product you’re marketing.