Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
No fees, cancel anytime.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
26submissions
1week left
Marketing Missteps: 26 Advertising Campaigns That Went Off Track
As we can all imagine, coming up with a brilliant ad that resonates with people is quite challenging. It requires a great deal of creativity and other factors in order to create commercials that linger in our minds, logos that we always recognize, soundtracks that will play in our heads, or billboards that complete their surroundings. These can become masterpieces and even part of popular culture themselves, capable of transforming a small business into a successful beast.
On the other hand, there are the ads that leave us indifferent. We've seen them, we acknowledge their existence... and we quickly forget about them. However, there exists another group within the marketing world — ads that have failed miserably. We witness numerous failures in this realm, ranging from unfortunate word choices in slogans, poor graphic design decisions to coincidental ad placements that convey a completely different story than their creators intended.
Today, we have selected a fresh assortment of these gems that have transformed from marketing creations into hilarious memes, injecting a dose of laughter into the regular lives of those who stumble upon them and later share them with a larger audience.
Click here & follow us for more lists, facts, and stories.
This post may include affiliate links.
RELATED:
As mentioned before, there may be plenty of reasons why some advertisements fail. Sometimes it's simply an unfortunate coincidence. The marketing team ensures that the ad is of the best quality, but then the final product ends up in the wrong place, ruining everything the authors worked so hard to convey. In other cases, it's clear from the start that something went wrong, and the ad makes no sense. This category includes slogans with double meanings or tragically selected words.
We must also distinguish between a design that may be intentionally humorous or provocative and one that is genuinely a design failure or ineffective in its messaging. We all enjoy a bit of dark humor and silly jokes. The truth is, some marketing failures get away with it because no one can believe that anyone would intentionally release something so bad to the public... So maybe it's not bad at all? Maybe it's just creative?
#8
There's An Optometrist Business Near My House That Has This Giant Poster Outside Advertising Colored Contacts. It Seems To Have Aged In A "Is That A Demon?" Way
#9
This Bench Advertises That "No Kid Should Ever Have To Sleep On The Streets" And Then Adds Bars So Homeless People Can't Sleep On The Bench
Now, intentional or not, a bad advertisement doesn't have to be a total failure. How can we call it a failure when it spreads like wildfire across the internet, making the advertised product even more popular than if the promotion had been decent and “okay”? In the end, it doesn't matter what they say; what's important is that they're talking at all! This holds true when it comes to this topic.
#10
This Ad In My Print Copy Of The New Yorker. I Tried To Click It, And Nothing Happened. Total Scam
In conclusion, for better or worse, there will always be some failures in advertising. So, we should all be on alert and look around to capture these gems. They are like real-life memes, adding a little bit of spice to our sometimes grey reality and bringing a smile to our faces on the most exhausting days.
#22
Sandwich Board Advertising Seniors Day But Because Of This Fastener Placement, It Looks Creepy
You might also like: People share 30 things they did wrong for years before learning the right way
Add New Image
Add New Image
Related on Bored Panda
