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Running a company is a delicate beast. No matter how big you become, there's always plenty of opportunities to mess up.
To show that no organization is exempt from making mistakes, TikToker Hannah Baked has been creating videos about the biggest brand fails and disasters that have made headlines. I'm certain that entire PR departments were tasked with covering them up, but even they couldn't hide all the loose ends.
Have you heard that Pringles (accidentally) put laxatives in one of their flavors? Or that Lipton launched a promotion campaign with a loophole that gave people an infinite supply of tea?
Continue scrolling to check out all the gems Hannah has unearthed so far and if you want more business hiccups, fire up our publication on the subreddit 'Corporate Facepalm.'
More info: TikTok
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
In 2017, a passenger was dragged across the aisle of a United Airlines flight. The cause of this was the flight was overbooked and when no one voluntarily chose to leave, they randomly selected someone to give up their seat. The passenger refused to leave and security was called. They forcefully grabbed the passenger and dragged them off the plane. This left the remaining passengers disgusted and they tweeted about the incident which led to United Airlines having to make a public apology and compensate the passenger.
LavenderAxolotl 3 years ago
I believe the passenger was a doctor who was flying home to open a free clinic for veterans, and also had patients to see the next day.
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#2
Lipton tea created a buy one, get one free deal. The problem with this deal is that every box had a free coupon which created a loophole where customers could get an endless supply of tea.
#3
P&G received a lot of backlash after their Mother's Day ad that incorporated a woman cleaning and the slogan stating "This Mother's Day, get back to the job that really matters.”
#4
Bacardi received a lot of backlash for their slogan stating: "Want to look better this summer? Get your hands on the hotness-boosting accessory now: An ugly girlfriend!"
#5
The mortgage company better.com organized a Zoom meeting with 900 of their employees. The CEO announced that those 900 employees were all being terminated, stating that if you're on this call, you're part of the unlucky group that has been laid off. The footage of the meeting was posted online which showed employees crying and being shocked by the announcement. The CEO received so much backlash that he had to take time off to reflect.
Anita Pickle 3 years ago
Oh poor guy, had to take time off to reflect... My god this is so bad.
#6
In 2019, Burberry found themselves facing controversy after their fashion show featured a hoodie with a noose attached to the hood. A model that walked in the show called out the brand on social media stating that "[taking your own life] is not fashion". After receiving a lot of criticism online, they responded by writing a public apology stating that the item was insensitive.
Pansexual Pancake (She/they) 3 years ago
A, yes, let's give children nooses, how could this EVER be a bad idea?
#7
Dolce and Gabbana found themselves receiving a lot of backlash after creating a shoe that stated 'thin is gorgeous’. This angered a lot of fans who tweeted that it wasn't a responsible message and it didn't support inclusivity of all body types. The brand showed no remorse by responding: "Next time, we'll write 'love to be fat and full of cholesterol.'”
. . .-.-. — / —. .- -.— 3 years ago
Well… If that’s what they said back, they kinda deserve it.
#8
In 2021, Burger King decided to tweet out "Women belong in the kitchen." This happened to be on International Women's Day. They received a lot of backlash from Twitter users pointing out that the tweet was sexist. They then replied to the backlash by stating that ‘they wanted to encourage women to take up a culinary career.'
#9
A fat-free version of Pringles was produced and was successful until customers reported stomach cramps. This was because the ingredient used as a fat substitute actually had a laxative effect.
Pansexual Pancake (She/they) 3 years ago
I mean, I like pringles better than laxatives... so if I ever need to make myself go I'll have a tasty way to do it.
#10
Domino's faced backlash after their employees filmed and uploaded a series of videos with them shoving cheese up their nose and wiping their body with cloth meant for cleaning. After it went up on YouTube, millions of people watched it which resulted in the CEO seeing it as well. The employees ended up getting fired and charged with felonies for food contamination.
#11
The fashion company Oh Polly set up a competition for NHS workers where the winner would receive a care package and clothing for a virtual party. When the winner couldn't attend the event because they were working a 12-hour shift, Oh Polly retracted the prize. The winner was obviously upset and tweeted about it which created outrage among Twitter users. This resulted in Oh Polly having to apologize and give the winner their prize.
#12
TRESemme received backlash after creating a campaign that featured different hair types with titles at the bottom labeled 'frizzy and dull' and 'dry and damaged' where the two photos of the blonde hair are labeled 'normal hair' and 'find them flat.' The advertisement ended up getting cut as many people were outraged and labeled TRESemme racist and extremely insensitive.
#13
In 2016, Samsung had to stop all sales of the Galaxy Note 7 after customers reported that their phones were overheating and catching on fire. Samsung reacted by sending out multi-layered fireproof boxes with packing instructions.
Aesthetic Studios 3 years ago
I still remember this and the note 2/s3 incident… im scared of using samsungs after seeing the s22 explode…
#14
McDonald's created a Twitter campaign encouraging followers to use the hashtag #McDStories to share an experience they've had with the company. The problem with the campaign was that it left Twitter users posting their McDonald's horror stories, with some of their stories consisting of fingernails and hospitalization.
#15
In 2020, Singapore Airlines launched a campaign called Flight To Nowhere. They planned to do three-hour-long flights where passengers could enjoy a meal in the sky with a view. This received a lot of backlash from environmentalists as the flights had no purpose for travel. Singapore Airlines responded by changing the campaign to dining in a plane parked on the tarmac.
Anna Banana 3 years ago
Did somebody tell them that people fly for the expierience of airline food eaten with plastic cutlery in a cramped seat? Plus the whole airport b******t? I can't belive they've managed to take all of the negatives about flying, remove the one positive of being transported somewhere else quickly, and (presumably) sell it to someone. It's like diamonds of 2020.
#16
Victoria's Secret uploaded a photo on their Instagram where their model was missing an arm. When their followers started calling them out on their Photoshop, they quickly deleted the post.
Pansexual Pancake (She/they) 3 years ago
If they want to show diverse models, why not just hire an actual disabled model? It just makes more sense!
#17
In 2013, EHRs conducted a random food test on IKEA Swedish meatballs and found traces of horsemeat. This was reported back to IKEA and they reacted by doing a mass recall. The horsemeat scandal had massive repercussions as a lot of customers were hesitant to eat at IKEA after that.
#18
US Airways found themselves in controversy after tweeting a p**nographic image to a complaining customer by accident. The photo was up for an hour before they removed it. They ended up having to make a public apology and stated that they would investigate the issue.
#19
Dolce and Gabbana launched three short videos on social media to promote a runway show they were having in Shanghai. The video incorporated a Chinese woman trying to eat Italian dishes with chopsticks while a voiceover tried to teach her how to eat. This received a lot of backlash for being racist, and the video ended up getting taken down within 24 hours. The drama wasn't over yet though, as Stefano Gabbana got exposed for calling China a country of ‘five poo emojis’. Gabbana claims that his account was hacked and they both ended up having to make a public apology.
#20
Burger King produced a meatless burger in 2019 called the Impossible Whopper. They marketed the burger to be an alternative option for vegans and vegetarians. The problem with the burger was that it was cooked on the same grill as the meat patties which removed the option for vegetarians and vegans to even eat the burger. But some customers did eat them without knowing, which resulted in Burger King being sued for misleading their customers.
Anna Banana 3 years ago
That's not strictly true. A lot of people choose vegetarian options for environmental reasons these days and they don't mind the contamination. Those people were eating the burgers. Though in general I agree that the idea was stupid and misleading people about what they're about to eat is a shitty thing to do.
Bunzilla 3 years ago
Yes.... but... there's two problems you're completely missing. Pretty major ones. One: There are people who are allergic to red meat. They might think that product would be safe to eat. Two: People who have been strict vegetarians or vegans for a prolonged period of time can no longer digest the proteins in meat... meaning they can get really sick if they eat it without knowing. So... yes. Big issue.
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Lillian Swaim 3 years ago
The Burger King's I've worked for in the past had a separate cooking area for their veggie patties, did they not do the same thing for the impossible? That's dumb
Kai 3 years ago (edited)
I am a vegetarian and not that delicate. I know people are not going to set up a whole grill for one product. I appreciate people,are actually putting out options.
Steven Windfeld 3 years ago
Most places do prepare their meatfree products on separate cooking areas. But Burger King sadly is not one of those places :/
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Thomas Mack 3 years ago
I am not vegetarian/vegan but I often pick the impossible meat options. I think its the direction food is going, for environmental and eventually financial reasons.
witchling 3 years ago
I too am not a vegetarian but enjoy the impossible burgers. I get them to make at home all the time. They're quick and very tasty and ridiculously nutritious. And sometimes I even put bacon on em!!
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Memere 3 years ago
Not only was there cross-contamination, was the hamburger bun vegan? If they have refined sugar, technically they are not - refined sugar is processed with bone char - from cattle bones.
Ell Torn 3 years ago
Vegetables aren't necessarily cruelty-free either, lots of dead animals are deemed as "pests and rodents". All depends where you draw the line.
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Kelzbelz79 3 years ago
Can 100% confirm this as I worked there at the time, I brought this up with my manager who told me that I wasn't to say anything unless asked.if I was asked I was told to lie and say they were cooked separately and away from the meat, I refused to do this so was "let go".
censorshipsucks 3 years ago (edited)
Thanks for caring and sorry to hear you had an unethical manager.
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Paul Davis 3 years ago
Vegetarian does not equal vegan. Vegans are the ones who insist on purity of no animals being used in any part of the food process.
Leesa DeAndrea 3 years ago
Probably improved the flavor. Nothing like real meat to improve the flavor of meatless dishes.
censorshipsucks 3 years ago
I wonder if the customers had asked for Halaal or Kosher if the commentators below would also be as dismissive of the issue... just a thought.
Valisbourne Spiritforge 3 years ago
Did Burger King switch to a griddle instead of a flame broiler? There's a chance of contamination i guess, but I'd be pretty sure most anything was burnt to a crisp by the time the thing rotated back around. /shrug I'm not a vegetarian though so not really something I've ever thought about.
Lynne Hammar 3 years ago
omg, how hard is it to designate a separate small grill for vegetarians? If it's too hard, then WHY offer a vegetarian option???
Briana Kessler 3 years ago
Ok this is just stupid. It is your responsibility to make sure of stuff like this if it is really that important. Celiacs and peanut allergy sufferers know this.
Joely King 3 years ago
As if the advertising wasn't bad enough... they cooked them on the same grills as the meat burgers so they tasted like s**t anyway
Ovata Acronicta 3 years ago
I was cool with trying the Impossible patty (although I like Beyond way better, pea protein tastes better than soy, imo) at a time when I could still eat beef. I'm still tempted to ask if I can get Impossible patties on the bacon king, but the cross-contamination may be enough to wreck my insides. They should have been a bit more overt about how things were made here, tho.
kim morris 3 years ago
I can't eat Beyond, it has onion in it. I love the Impossible burger, I'm not vegan or vegetarian. We are cutting way down on meat, beef, fish though. When we travel and have to eat fast food we do go to BK and I do make a point of getting the Impossible burger. I'm sad that the Impossible sausage has onion in it as do the impossible shrimp. I keep telling myself 'baby steps'
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Troux 3 years ago
There was another problem with this: When they started to roll out the vegan patties, not all restaurants had them. There was a common scenario where someone would order an Impossible burger on UberEats/GrubHub/DoorDash and the driver would get to the restaurant and be asked if it's ok to substitute a regular meat patty. The driver wouldn't want to cancel the order or drive to another BK, so they just say yes and not tell the person who ordered it.
Steven Windfeld 3 years ago
That is horrible. Such a driver ought to be sued.
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Sylvanticx 3 years ago
i'm vegetarian and have been eating Burger King impossible whoppers for years now and this is the first I've heard about this howww did I not know??
Steven Windfeld 3 years ago
They have to inform you if they prepare a vegetarian dish in a non-vegetarian way. Sadly, a lot of employees just ignore to inform people.
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Badgers Nadgers 3 years ago (edited)
I doubt that multinational fast food and supermarkets are doing the vegan thing for ethical, moral or environmental reasons rather than because the markup on processed vegetable products is huge due the use of out of specification veg that would otherwise go to animal feed or waste. Ditto for the marketing, they just want people through the door and will use any opportunity be it veganism or a sports event The specific issue here is not new or uncommon either.
Sue User 3 years ago
When the plant based patties first became wildly available, i thought, okay, let me see. It was $6 for four burgers. Okay, well saving the planet will cost. But the packages. So much plastic. Why can't they be sold in cardboard or something biodegradable?
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Bella Wexhome 3 years ago
as a vegan, you can't expect not to have cross contamination, people who complain just give vegans a bad name.
Rachel Ashwell 3 years ago
Restaurants do this all the time. I can't stand the taste of meat so I can never order grilled vegetables because they use the same grill where they grill their steaks.
Looks like an Angel 3 years ago
It's also not vegan if it's served on a bun and has mayonnaise on it. But of those things contain eggs, which vegans don't eat.
madbakes 3 years ago
I don't know any bun made with eggs besides brioche.
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B S 3 years ago
i don't give a damn if some orthorexic neurotics wanna eat their plants but when the plant based garbage has to be so loaded w chemicals and stabilizers ect to be baseline edible that it's actually WORSE for you than the couple of ounces of red meat i have to draw the line. it's just another failed "healthy" fast food option and no one talks about it otherwise the flying monkeys descend and start shrieking at you about how it's sustainable and ethical. twats.
Hyde and Seek 3 years ago
Actually if you haven't eaten meat within a certain amount of time,you can get severely sick due to cross contamination.
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#21
Domino's advertised a campaign stating "Calling all nice Karen's". This campaign allowed women named Karen to receive a free pizza if they were a pleasant customer. The problem with this campaign was that it received a lot of complaints and ended up getting pulled.
#22
In an ad for the margarine brand Flora, a photo of a heart and a statement "Uh, dad, I'm gay" was used. This received a lot of criticism for being homophobic.
Little Wonder 3 years ago
Margarine is marketed as Heart Healthy, that's why there's a heart in the image. It's homophobic because it states your child being gay would "break your heart".
#23
In 2017, Kendall and Kylie Jenner tried to sell T-shirts featuring deceased rappers and Ozzy Osbourne. They were called out on Twitter for being disrespectful and trying to profit off of using the icons. The T-shirts ended up getting pulled and Kendall Jenner responded by stating that the designs were not well thought out and apologized.
#24
ColourPop received backlash after the release of their sculpting sticks. The cause of the backlash was the names given to the three darkest shades. The names were titled "Yikes", "Typo" and "Doom". This offended a lot of ColourPop's customers and they deemed ColourPop to be racist. ColourPop reacted by apologizing and changing all of the names.
AzKhaleesi 3 years ago
hold up, but the light shade is "re friend?" seriously? So THAT'S ok, but the rest aren't? and those are literally eye shadows not friggin foundation. God people are ridiculous.
#25
Safety Warehouse advertised a PR event where they promised to do a cash drop of $100,000. More than 1,000 people went to the event expecting to collect the money, but instead collected retail vouchers that looked like $5 notes. This left people outraged as they reported being trampled on and spending a lot of money to even get to the event.
Peter Lee 3 years ago
This was in Auckland, New Zealand. Tickets were limited to 1,000 so in theory each person would get around $100. Some people reported travelling hundreds of kilometres and spending hundreds of dollars to participate, not sure how much they thought they would get? The companies version was they threw out $100,000 in cash mixed with fake discount vouchers but when reported in the news no one they interviewed got any cash, and of course the media is always unbiased and doesn't report only the news they want you to hear
#26
Gucci found themselves in controversy after designing a jumper that got criticized for resembling blackface. The piece retailed for $890 and was part of their autumn/winter collection. Gucci responded by removing the piece from their collection and apologizing stating that 'they are committed to increasing diversity.'
#27
In 2013, Burger King's Twitter account got hacked. A hacker decided to change the Burger King logo to the McDonald's logo. They also tweeted out racial slurs and lies about the company. One of the tweets stated that Burger King had been sold to McDonald's. Another tweet stated "If I catch you at Wendy's, we're fighting!" Burger King responded by asking Twitter to suspend their account and making a public apology on their Facebook page.
#28
In 2016, KFC found themselves receiving a lot of backlash after publishing this image that stated "Something hot and spicy is coming soon.” Clearly, they posted the image to get people talking, which it did because the post went viral. The post was only up for an hour before they removed it as the comments stated that the image was inappropriate and misogynistic.
iseefractals 3 years ago (edited)
It's neither inappropriate, nor misogynistic. It's a blurred out bucket of chicken, people are making assumptions on their own and then getting upset for what they assume. The fact that you're offended for the sake of being offended is a you problem.
#29
Frito-Lay produced a lip balm in 2005 that was entirely Cheetos scented. The problem with this lip balm was that barely anyone bought it.
#30
Jensen Karp, a comedian, claimed that he found sugar-coated shrimp tails in his box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. The tweet ended up going viral and a spokesperson for the company stated that they would start investigating the issue. After the investigation, they claimed that the shrimp tails were actually cinnamon and sugar clumped together. Jensen Karp ended up tweeting that he felt gaslighted by their investigation. The company then offered to send out an envelope to return the alleged shrimp tails for forensic investigation. He then went on to tweet that the cereal box had already been opened and it was taped down the bottom which led Cinnamon Toast Crunch to conclude that the box had been tampered with.
#31
In 2014, to celebrate Sephora's first Australian store, they started a hashtag called #countdowntobeauty. The problem with their tweet was that it had a typo and misspelled the word 'count’. The tweet left Twitter users accusing Sephora of intentionally leaving out the 'o' for publicity.
Catherine Binder 3 years ago
I would think this would increase sales in Australia. Or at the very least cause more giggles than offense.
#32
Tropicana released an advertisement encouraging parents stressed out by the pandemic to solve their problems by making Mimosas. They received a lot of backlash for endorsing a dangerous message that people should drink their way through the pandemic. They ended up having to remove the ad for promoting alcoholism.
Taylor Blanca 3 years ago
I honestly don't see a problem with this as long as the "mimosas" are drunken in moderation but wdIk?
#33
Vodafone found themselves in controversy after a customer service employee tweeted a homophobic message on the company's Twitter account. He tweeted, 'Vodafone UK is fed up of dirty homos and is going after beaver.' The employee ended up getting suspended and Vodafone had to make a public apology.
#34
Kraft launched a marketing campaign on National Noodle Day to promote mac and cheese. They encouraged their followers to send 'noodes' to their loved ones during the pandemic to make them smile. They ended up getting a little backlash from Twitter users stating that the campaign was highly inappropriate. Kraft ended up having to take down their tweets.
#35
This brand fail was caused by bad timing. Airbnb launched a campaign named ‘Floating World’. This was around the time that Hurricane Harvey hit Houston.
#36
Pretty Little Thing found themselves in controversy after tweeting their support for Black Lives Matter. They tweeted, "We understand we have a duty of care to talk about topics other than just fashion and lifestyle news." The problem wasn't with the tweet, but the image that depicted a jet black hand. The tweet received a lot of comments asking Pretty Little Thing to take down the image and fire the people responsible.
Pansexual Pancake (She/they) 3 years ago
I dunno, this tweet isn't that bad. I mean, the symbol for #BLM is a jet black fist, after all.
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What do you think ?
Phil Vaive 3 years ago
What about the Pepsi commercial where Kendall Jenner ends police racism with a can of pepsi?
Queen Jackson. 3 years ago
And the Pepsi Dolly Parton commercial with the “friendly” civil war.
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Sanne H. 3 years ago
The sales of ionized bracelets saw a sudden drop in 1990 in The Netherlands, when Dutch folk singer Nico Haak suddenly died of a heart attack. He was the main face for the “BioRegulator” brand, with his statement “It makes me feel great, I will never take it off again”.
Steve Kenney 3 years ago
Cheeto flavoured lip balm. "When I want that cheesy flavour all day long" said like 6 people who everyone else laughed at.
Jespren Ray 3 years ago
I’m pretty sure any kid under 6 would happily wear it just to *eat* it, but past that I don’t see much market population either!
Load More Replies... Tom 3 years ago
How on earth has P&O's treatment of its workers (sacking of 800 staff with no notice, which their CEO even admitted he knew was illegal) not even make it on to this list?!?!
Scott Davis 3 years ago
Its illegal to do mass layoffs with no notice? Since when?
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Scott Davis 3 years ago (edited)
No mention of the Gillette ad painting all men as sadistic a-holes? Featuring a bunch of bearded a-holes who obviously don't use the razors watching two kids beating the hell out of each other while they grill?
Crowsgoin*brrr* 3 years ago
I think the morale of this story today folks is... move to Australia
Brien Bodenham 3 years ago
KFC recently did a promotion in Germany celebrating Kristallnacht https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63499057
Pumpkin Spice 3 years ago
I make deez nuts come online. It’s enough to comfortably replace my old job's income, especially considering I only work about 11 to 12 hours a week from home. I was amazed how easy it was after I tried it… 🙂 AND GOOD LUCK.:) HERE====)
Load More Replies...
Phil Vaive 3 years ago
What about the Pepsi commercial where Kendall Jenner ends police racism with a can of pepsi?
Queen Jackson. 3 years ago
And the Pepsi Dolly Parton commercial with the “friendly” civil war.
Load More Replies... Sanne H. 3 years ago
The sales of ionized bracelets saw a sudden drop in 1990 in The Netherlands, when Dutch folk singer Nico Haak suddenly died of a heart attack. He was the main face for the “BioRegulator” brand, with his statement “It makes me feel great, I will never take it off again”.
Steve Kenney 3 years ago
Cheeto flavoured lip balm. "When I want that cheesy flavour all day long" said like 6 people who everyone else laughed at.
Jespren Ray 3 years ago
I’m pretty sure any kid under 6 would happily wear it just to *eat* it, but past that I don’t see much market population either!
Load More Replies... Tom 3 years ago
How on earth has P&O's treatment of its workers (sacking of 800 staff with no notice, which their CEO even admitted he knew was illegal) not even make it on to this list?!?!
Scott Davis 3 years ago
Its illegal to do mass layoffs with no notice? Since when?
Load More Replies... Scott Davis 3 years ago (edited)
No mention of the Gillette ad painting all men as sadistic a-holes? Featuring a bunch of bearded a-holes who obviously don't use the razors watching two kids beating the hell out of each other while they grill?
Crowsgoin*brrr* 3 years ago
I think the morale of this story today folks is... move to Australia
Brien Bodenham 3 years ago
KFC recently did a promotion in Germany celebrating Kristallnacht https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63499057
Pumpkin Spice 3 years ago
I make deez nuts come online. It’s enough to comfortably replace my old job's income, especially considering I only work about 11 to 12 hours a week from home. I was amazed how easy it was after I tried it… 🙂 AND GOOD LUCK.:) HERE====)
Load More Replies... You May Like 50 Things That Got Discontinued That These Consumers Desperately Want To Buy Again 58 Fun Spring Activities To Partake In This Season 75 Disney Princess Quotes to Live By
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