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There are many reasons why an advertising campaign might fail. Maybe there wasn’t enough of a budget dedicated to spreading the word. Or, the ideas weren’t creative enough to make the product stand out from competitors.

Marketers also note that to have a successful campaign, one has to have a single clear goal. You shouldn’t try to cover all the bases with one campaign. So, if you’re aiming for more social media subscribers, don’t also expect to get more website traffic or sales. Go one step at a time.

But, sometimes, the goals are clear, the marketers have plenty of money, and the ad does stand out but it’s still a failure. That’s because it stands out for all the wrong reasons. It is so out of the box that it goes a bit overboard.

Over the years, there have been plenty of such examples. Today, we want to present to you the ones that were kindly collected by Oxford College of Marketing and put on their highly entertaining and informative TikTok page. Scroll down to cringe at these magnificent lapses of judgment.

#1

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Groundcontroltomajortom
Community Member
3 years ago (edited)

Racism sexism and fat shaming all in the top 5, and all aimed at women.... says a lot!

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    #2

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    Nadine Debard
    Community Member
    3 years ago

    Does somebody whip you bloody if you fail? No? False advertising.

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    #3

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    Bittersweetie
    Community Member
    3 years ago

    No words.

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    #4

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    Chihuahua Mama
    Community Member
    3 years ago

    I thought this was a clip from the "Blurred Lines" music video... same message tho

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    #5

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    Nina
    Community Member
    3 years ago

    This just cheap and nasty

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    #6

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    Miss Mali
    Community Member
    3 years ago

    So where were the parents when this was happening???

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    #7

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    Groundcontroltomajortom
    Community Member
    3 years ago

    I wondered how long it was before the sexism began....

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    #8

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    Nina
    Community Member
    3 years ago

    It should've been the other way around. The gay son needs a strong heart because apparently his dad is a homophobic a-hole

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    #9

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    LeftEyedAsmodeus
    Community Member
    3 years ago

    I found this one reallly funny, tbh.

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    #10

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    Groundcontroltomajortom
    Community Member
    3 years ago (edited)

    Just shows how out of touch (with reality ironically) these guys really are!!

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    #11

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    Chihuahua Mama
    Community Member
    3 years ago

    Sometimes no Ad is better

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    #12

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    Miss Mali
    Community Member
    3 years ago

    How many people does this have to get past??? Nobody thought this was a bad idea???

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    #13

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    Lemme get the lemons
    Community Member
    3 years ago

    Alright, sure mate, I that's what you want to believe

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    #14

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    Panda-sized Potato
    Community Member
    3 years ago

    These were sent to members of the press as part of a press package. They immediately asked for the back. Possession is illegal in most states. In some states, shipping is illegal.

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    #15

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    VioletHunter
    Community Member
    3 years ago

    Context?

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    #16

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    Jrog
    Community Member
    3 years ago (edited)

    Consider at the time there was a sensible social issue about immigrants trying to cross the Channel by jumping on the back of trucks while they were waiting for boarding in France and Belgium. It was a risky move for the stowaways (some tried to hitch a ride in a refrigerated truck and died of hypothermia, some were killed while jumping on the moving trucks, or tried to hang to the underside of the trailer and were crushed when falling under the wheels). It was a real problem for truckers, who could be arrested and tried for aiding illegal immigration or even for human trafficking, despite them not being complicit or even aware of the presence of stowaways. It was also common to access the cargo space by cutting through the trailer side, en expensive damage, and often whatever cargo was inside was spoiled (such as foodstuff being eaten or thrown out to aid other crossers, crates used as toilets or opened to look for stuff to steal).

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    #17

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    Kel_how
    Community Member
    3 years ago

    What the hell is even with this picture?? What does it have to do with gaming?

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    #18

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    BatPhace
    Community Member
    3 years ago

    Some of these are reaching hard 🫤

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    #19

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    Ronstantin
    Community Member
    3 years ago

    I think this could well have been a provocative joke that was never intended to discriminate against women, but the exact opposite. After all, the post takes this outdated phrase and reinterprets it in a positive way. I think it's hard to tell exactly what was meant. But it's often very easy to say that something was meant to be sexist.

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    #20

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    Jrog
    Community Member
    3 years ago

    This happened 4 years after the bombing, the message was well intended but poorly worded. It is very common to brag about "surviving" a marathon among runners, they failed to connect the tone of the message with the past of the specific event. They quickly apologized and admitted the mistake.

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    #21

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    Mamza Paulse
    Community Member
    3 years ago

    Y’all saying genterfication are good either don’t know what it is, or are a******s. The issue is that after these people come and “make places better” the poor people can’t afford to live there anymore, food rent, it all becomes to expensive and people are forced to move and it is truly f****d up.

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    #22

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    Nadine Debard
    Community Member
    3 years ago

    Plan a super COVID spread, yay! Is Boris invited?

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    #23

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    Caroline Kimber
    Community Member
    3 years ago (edited)

    I don't think they intended to be malicious.....would it have had a different reaction of it had said 'son'? When I was a child, I was asked to do the washing up....it's just chores that children do. But this is just my opinion.....not looking to start any arguments :)

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    #24

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    Chihuahua Mama
    Community Member
    3 years ago

    The icecream impregnated her? The icecream gets you laid? I'm more offended by the ad not making sense than the religious mockery tbh

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    #25

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    Prince of Darkness
    Community Member
    3 years ago

    'scuse me while i fornicate with this whopper...

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