Every single day, you’re bombarded by companies attempting to sell you their products and services. Everywhere you turn, you’ve got adverts and brand promotions fighting for your attention. But it would be utterly naïve to think that everyone’s at the top of their game! Some marketing attempts put the ‘epic’ in ‘epic fail.’
‘Ridiculous Marketing Nonsense’ (RMN) is a Facebook group that does exactly what it says on the tin. Members of this online community post the most hilarious(ly bad) attempts that companies have made at desperately trying to sell you something. Scroll down for the best of the worst and a detailed lesson on what not to do.
Bored Panda reached out to the founder of the group, Jansen Mann, who runs a France-based digital marketing agency, ‘Simon.’ He was kind enough to answer our questions. Read on for our full interview with Mann about the roots of RMN, which originally started as a group on Flickr, way back in 2006.
More info: Facebook | Flickr | SimonWeb.eu
This post may include affiliate links.
Souperstar
To put it very simply, marketing is about identifying customer needs and then figuring out how to meet them. Advertising, the process of promoting a company and its products and services, is a key part of marketing.
What you’ll find on the ‘Ridiculous Marketing Nonsense’ group are posts about “daft marketing words, stupid adverts, and any other signs, posters or billboards that are encouraging you to buy something.” In short, it’s a buffet of bad marketing, advertising, and design decisions that are likely still haunting the companies.
Hmm
....cause I'm as free as a Meatbird, and this bird will never change!
Load More Replies...What type of meatbird though? Ostrich? turkey? Chicken?... s**t, now I'm craving ostrich
Actually, this is an accurate label. There are different types of chickens. There are meat chickens and laying chickens, just like there are meat sheep and wool sheep.
My friend and I started calling it "chimken". I'm aware it's stupid but I have a whole vocabulary that only makes sense with her
what i find extra hilarious is that it actually does say 'chicken' in tiny letters in the top right XD
Ouch
I've been herring about this place - you betta believe I will visit on my next oppor-tuna-ty. Cod you you let minnow if the service is e-fish-ient or fin-tastic? Does the chef put his heart-and-sole to make meals ex-squid-it? HaHaHa, I'm kraken myself up, but salmon had to do it...
Too soon, man. Too soon. Plus Nemo is way too small to even be an appetizer.
The founder of ‘Ridiculous Marketing Nonsense,’ explained to Bored Panda that he first started the group around 2006 on Flickr. “The inspiration came from a stupid advert I saw for sausages at a tube station,” he said that this was the spark that ignited the idea behind the entire project. “The concept was born.”
Mann, the founder, also runs his own digital marketing agency, ‘Simon,’ which caters to small and medium-sized businesses. He said that the RMN project is something that he’s “highly attuned” to because it shows great examples of what to avoid in marketing.
Ok
“Rob the Jewelry store tell ‘em make me a grill” please someone else remember Paul Wall’s verse in “Grillz”.
Or the time Fosch went to a security convent(?) with a fake name, 'Rob Banks'...
Discover A New Hobby
Never could understand the appeal. I don't like police procedurals for this reason too. Elaborate murders are still murders.
The family that slays together stays together - Leatherface (probably)
I think they got too many true crimes that year snd there was overlap
Erm Ok Then
"Where did you learn to fry an egg son?" "FROM YOU DAD! I LEARNED IT FROM YOU!".
I was low-key hoping for a new hit single from the pineapple apple pen man :(
I didn't know the original ad until someone pointed it out, till that moment I thought this was something to so with Pen Pineapple Apple Pen 🖊️ 🍍 🍎 🖊️
We were curious to get his take as to why marketing fails are so appealing to so many internet users. “My guess is they are not just funny but there’s an element of schadenfreude going on, too,” he said, referring to the pleasure that someone derives from another person's misfortune.
“In an online community such as RMN, one stupid ad can start members riffing on the fail which is always fun,” Mann told us.
Major Confusion
Are those potatoes? or onions? or watermelons? Potatonionelons? (showing myself out...)
Is this one a photoshop job? Watermelons do get shipped in large pallet boxes like that but since they are coming from the grower I've never seen them with a photo of baked goods on the side. Usually just plain or the farm brand or prints of watermelons. Watermelon farmers do not usually try to convince you to purchase a totally different product.
Those aren't baked goods, they're potatoes. Looks like roasted, some fancy sliced job, and stuffed potato skins.
Load More Replies...the plant is a watermelon, the thing around the plant says potatoes and the label says onions. 😂🤣
Take My Money
You don't get s choice. It's Roger from accounting and that's it. Nobody else volunteered.
Load More Replies...Thanks For The Explanation
🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉that’s the most smartesesededted thing I’ve heard today! (Pls don’t downvote me I’m joking)
Load More Replies...If you notice this notice you'll notice this notice is not worth noticing.
Bored Panda wanted to find out why some marketers aren’t more aware of just how bad their attempts to sell products really are.
“The honest answer is that a poor marketer hasn’t read the data and gotten to know their audience,” Mann, the founder of RMN and ‘Simon,’ said.
“These people will build collateral that would appeal to themselves or their peer group rather than that of the target audience. Ultimately, it probably comes down to a lack of attention to detail.”
The Healthy Option
Well, they are all vegetable and fruit products, so.... Kind'a applies, don't it?
My Kind Of Breakfast
Definitely. I'm Czech, and I've seen a dude deliberately place stickers on bouillon cubes so instead of SLEPIČÍ (= witch chicken) it said S PIČÍ (= with pu$$y)
Load More Replies...For anyone confused, it's supposed to say pick me up.
Too early, I could not get past perk me up, Thank you
Load More Replies...Sounds Like Am Interesting Community Event
There is no way they didn't know EXACTLY what they were doing with this one.
"Come socialize and eat ice" "cream in your pajamas"
Load More Replies...Was about to say the same then saw your comment
Load More Replies...The ‘Ridiculous Marketing Nonsense’ Facebook group might be small, but it sure knows about quality. At the time of writing, the group had just over 2.1k members. And the content they post is absolutely hilarious. For one, it’s quite relatable because many of us have been exposed to bad marketing over the years.
On top of that, if you know even the basics of good marketing and design, you can immediately tell just how cringeworthy these attempts to sell something really are. Once you know what quality looks like, it becomes immediately obvious when someone should have spent more time at the drawing board.
The project has become so iconic that it was even mentioned in the book 'Web Marketing All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies.' RMN was one of the author's favorite groups on Flickr.
I Had One Of Those Earlier
Not to be TMI, but one time I couldn't hold a fart in and i farted for like 5 seconds.
PFFFFFFFFFFFFRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Come On Back
Satanic Dog Refuge In Pendle
The Power of Milk Bones compels you! Evil-Dog-6...a96520.jpg
Quite appropriate in Pendle. Pendle was England’s equivalent of Salem.
Previously, Bored Panda spoke about company longevity and the importance of long-term thinking with consumer psychology specialist Matt Johnson, Ph.D. "While adaptability and innovation are highly lauded in the business world, interestingly, many of the most successful companies have sold roughly the same type of product for nearly all of their history," the author of ‘Branding that Means Business’ and the host of the human nature blog told us during an earlier interview.
"The oldest company still around today is Kongo Gumi, established in 578 AD, which ran independently, as a family-owned business until financial struggles forced it to be bought by a conglomerate in 2006. It began as a construction company for Buddhist temples, and still specializes in that today," he said.
Surely You'd... Oh Never Mind
I'd make them look like normal doors like in the picture, but they would be actual sliding doors. Now that would be a joke.
NOPE! They’re out there - voting, driving on our roads, reproducing, making laws and rules that affect EVERYONE!
Finally, A Sandwich Just For Me
I hope whoever did it was rightly pleased with themselves.
Load More Replies...Quality Boots. With you for life. I don't want my lunch to be with me for life.
Not positive, but I believe it's "I am elemental."
Load More Replies...Urgentlee
"While many companies may not plan millenniums in advance, they can invest in the medium term by investing in a perennial brand. It’s no accident that the most prominent brands that exist today have brand identities that are universally appealing and timeless. Coke has aligned itself with happiness, which never goes out of style; Disney with 'wholesome family joy'; Nike with 'world-beating ambition.' Planning for the future means betting on a brand personality that will still be appealing decades or even centuries down the road,” Johnson told Bored Panda.
"In many instances, this also comes down to the core brand identity, as this serves as the general orientation—or higher order purpose, by which employees are motivated in their jobs. Working at Nike doesn’t just mean selling shoes, it means 'enabling dreams'; working at Disney doesn’t just mean making movies, it means 'telling generational stories,' etc. These aspects of the brand are thus as important externally (attracting consumers), as they are internally (motivating employees)," the consumer psychology specialist explained.
I’m Probably Not Gonna Book This Place
One bright day in the middle of the night, Two dead boys got up to fight. Back to back they faced each other, Drew their swords and shot each other. The deaf policeman heard the noise, Came and shot the two dead boys. If you don’t believe this lie is true, Ask the blind man, he saw it too.
"I see," said the blind man as he went round the straight crooked corner, to see a dead donkey die. He took out a dagger and shot it, and it landed him one in the eye.
Load More Replies...A Royal Flush
I've studied the British culture and history and my conclusion is that the Brits are weird.
before reading this comment, I thought this was beer... ! 😅 saw the crone and then first thought was 'Corona' "beer".
Load More Replies...Dunno
"Some companies have inextricable financial difficulties and may need to go through bankruptcy or acquisition through private equity. For others, they may be keeping afloat financially, but they have lost relevance; the market has moved away from what they can offer, and what they represent. In this scenario, they’re required to embrace significant change, such as adapting their products, services, and business models to re-align with current market demands," Johnson said.
"To reconnect with customers, and re-align themselves to the market, these companies may benefit from a customer-centric approach. And ideally, one that drops preconceived notions from the company about what it thinks consumers want, and instead, recognizes that it now needs to develop this from the consumer themselves. This may require a substantial re-brand, or even starting the brand from scratch," the expert told Bored Panda.
Is That Why They're Called Nap Pies?
that's the punishment reserved in hell for people that leave their used ones in shopping carts
I Won't
Run for your lives. I think Do-not touch the Donut is coming with a 40 meter long axe
Load More Replies...Hmmm
Took me a beat to notice it, but now I can't stop laughing. I'm a grown up, I swear! *tee hee*🤭
Look at the picture of the man-now look where the exhaust pipe is located. (Between his legs)
Load More Replies...I was looking at all the text. I missed the "man" until I read your comment. Cheers!
Load More Replies..."In either instance, the goal is to create an alignment between the brand’s identity and the wants, needs, and values of the target market. A great example of this can be found with Lego, which successfully rebuilt its brand identity through a consumer-centric approach in 2005 and hasn’t looked back. To this end, actively listening to customer feedback, conducting market research, and understanding evolving needs and expectations will provide important input to this process, and will help rebuild trust in the process."
The bottom line is that it’s important to promote your products and services. After all, how is anyone going to buy from you if they have no clue who you are, what you do, and what you stand for? However, you can’t approach this from a position of ignorance. If you put out low-quality work, you’ll end up running your reputation into the ground. It’s hard to recover from that. So it’s better to take the entire process seriously. That means putting in the proper time and effort to really connect to your audience, instead of doing random things.
Can I Have It Without The Poopy?
While that is funny, the brand name does rather suggest this is deliberate.
It was a well-deserved terrible awful, though.
Load More Replies...(Wanted to see if using a dollar sign for an S would get past the BP censoring.)
Load More Replies...Who Knew?
Pretty sure this was an Obvious Plant job, but it's still hilarious (and true).
Deal Of The Day
At least they're honest! Many stores just put their price up before sales season and then "reduce" it to the original price 🤨
Good marketing, advertising, and design all come down to the right focus. You need to know what your goals and values are, when it comes to your brand. You also need to have a very clear understanding of your products and services so that you can appeal to your customers’ needs and wants. You then have to strive to condense all of this into the content that you’ll use to promote yourself. Ideally, you want content that’s engaging and relevant—in short, you want to aim for quality work.
Though luck is an important aspect of business, you can’t rely on it to drive your marketing campaigns. You need to research your target audience so you can connect to them in a genuine way, whatever strategies (whether traditional or modern) you’ll use going forward. It never hurts to get a second (or third, or fourth!) opinion on your strategies and content.
Mmmm
It's a lie. Unless they have just been made they are usually more chewy than crispy.
Thanks for letting me know,you saved me the money
Load More Replies...Soylent Green In Indian Rebranding Effort To Escape Detection
These guys make the best sweets ever! The snacks from here are also delicious! My grandma always brings some for us
If it's pork, then they're not wrong. Not that I would personally know...
Charlton Heston screaming as they take him away and everyone swarms the Soylent truck. Yes, I also know this quote.
Load More Replies...There actually is aa soy based drink company based in Hollywood, California called Soylent and their vanilla flavor came in green plastic bottles.
Hmmm
It just means no through traffic, only people who need access to that area eg people who live there and have a parking permit or shop deliveries etc. Makes perfect sense to a UK driver
I was hoping it was time to go crazy with the squeaky hammer...
Load More Replies...I'm trying to make that make sense and I can't. "Except for access" usually means when a road is closed, e.g. for road works, but people that actually live on that part of the road are allowed on to get to their homes. But saying you can't get through to **another** road except if you live there is saying "you can't use this road to get elsewhere, unless you need to get elsewhere".
This is a permanent sign and doesn't have anything to do with road works. As you say “Except for Access” means you are not permitted to drive past the sign unless you require access to a property on that road. It doesn't automatically mean a road is a dead end (which is why that sign is included because, in this instance, it is also a dead end). It's also informing people that you can't use this road it to get through to Borough High Street most likely there because, at some point, people thought they could.
Load More Replies...It means there is no through road, and you should only go down it if you live/work there. Presumably they have had an issue with people trying to get through to the high street.
Ahh Schrodinger St. Is it a street or is it a dead cat. Won't know until you open the box.
A sign by my house in Santa Barbar, Calif.: Nirvana Road, not a thru street.
If you don’t have the money to hire focus groups, you could always ask your family and friends for their honest opinions on your slogans and posters. The time you spend editing, redrafting, and polishing your work is never wasted. And when in doubt, ask a professional for their thoughts. Being humble enough to learn from someone else is a wonderful skill to have in life.
Which of these marketing fails did you personally feel were the most ridiculous, dear Pandas? Have you ever seen anything as bad (or worse!) in real life? What do you think companies can do to become more self-aware about the content they put out? We’d love to hear your thoughts on everything, so scroll down to the comment section and share your thoughts if you have a moment.
Guns N Roses’ Difficult Second Album
GNU Terry Pratchett, and the Owl Parliament launched in his memory.
Load More Replies...You thought their second album was difficult? Goatnese Democracy took them 15 years!
I'm very disappointed it's closed. Just look at these guys. goatgang-6...9621d7.jpg
America Flavored
I thought 'America Flavored' meant Fructose, plastic cheese, and Coca-Cola.
Generally any group that uses the word "freedom" in their name is intending to suppress your freedoms.
No fiIlers or byproducts except those naturally occurring in hot dog meat.WTF
I Guess T Stands For Sweet Flying Jump Kick
Kids Adults Real Anti Abduction Tactics for Everyone
Load More Replies...Office Essentials?
Slap a Dharma Initiative emblem on the front and you're speaking my language!
Yes, it is. You place this on your desk and dream of being there instead of behind your damn desk.
Anyone Up For Some Crab Twating
I don't think I've ever had crab twat. For our local dungeness crab we have to throw back the females - can only keep the males that are at least 6 1/4 inches across the shell.
I miss dungeness crab. Guess next time I visit, I'll make sure it's crab twat dungeness. If they let me have the female crab😉
Load More Replies...Nothing says "haute couture" like wearing an ocean going spider on your head. Edit: sp.
Load More Replies...I love a bit of crab twat, gotta watch out for dead man's fingers though.
Yeah, I prefer to keep the crabs AWAY from my twat. (Which is an American term for a lady's, well, lady bits).
I Think I'll Pass On That
The sadist in me is interested... I'll tell them to get out so they can take a look.
You have to buy the cookies.
Load More Replies...I thought it was a lesson teaching you about Everlasting Punishment, and how to avoid it.
Load More Replies...It says "Church of Christ" but it feels like a Catholic type of message.
When You Get A Genius In Your Marketing Department
Finally! My shoes designed to mimic the shape of a human hand are very uncomfortable
'Uncomfortable' you say? I would have thought that they would have.... fit like a glove!
Load More Replies...Well some shoes are designed not after the foot, cause they feel horrible after a while! c133c787b0...2c0c36.jpg
I have yet to find a shoe that mimics the shape of my foot. They all assume that your third toe is the longest. Mine isn't.
Load More Replies...One Careful Owner
All jokes aside, I do think that 'pre loved' is a cute take on 'second hand', and for baby clothes it feels especially fitting.
My husband still mourns the loss of the 6 mo size sleeper with firefighter monkeys on it. The kid is 7 yo now. Let the fire monkeys go sweetie.
Load More Replies...I know it’s secondhand baby stuff, like the hand me downs that circulate through a family or neighborhood whenever there’s a new baby. That’s incredibly useful, because they’re expensive when they’re new, still have plenty of life in them when the baby grows out of them, and in too good of a shape to just throw away. I just can’t tell if the name was and accidental or on purpose.
You can even pay for your second-hand baby in instalments. Wow! They've thought of everything.
Why does this look photoshopped? Oh yeah, because it is. Not even good photoshop or AI photoshop, this is like early 2000s photoshop.
Shoe Is Are Now Located
As a grammar freak, I'm in the same boat - howdy!
Load More Replies...Possessive S with an implied departments. I don't know what. Ware Department the Men own, though. I also do not know what Jewerly is or what would be in a department of it.
Move Over Heston
Of all of the items in this post, this one fits the title the best. This is proper marketing nonsense. It's a cheap ham sandwich.
And I don't believe for one minute that the hand packing is careful
Load More Replies...They lost me at the apostrophe. Do all their chefs have the same recipe?
Mmmmm! wafer thin! Who wants to bite into meaty chunks of meat when you can have see through slices?
I prefer my cold cuts to be as thin as possible, and I'm not the only person who likes shaved meat
Load More Replies...I believe “handcrafted” is the newest - and dare I say silliest - way for advertising hucksters to hype up anything that isn’t premade.
Pork might be raw or cooked. A cooked pork chop, for example, is not the same as ham.
Load More Replies...I Mean If You Buy A Van Full You Save A Lot
*blinks*
Contrary to popular belief it's actually the burping that's the problem, more than the farting!
Load More Replies...If it's the US, then it doesn't include tax. But many states don't tax groceries anyway.
Load More Replies...Ultra pasteurized milk typically has a long hold time before it goes off and may be shelf stable without refrigeration. I've seen a lot of ~organic~ fancy milks that have been ultra-pasteurized; presumably they're doing it to kill all of the bacteria their unmedicated cows carry.
Load More Replies...I'll Have 3 Shoes Please
Makes me think of the Mr Bean episode where he puts a shoe on a car and it drives off and he tries to buy a single shoe
Why Brother uploading headlines not followed by any content.... very frustrating
Agreed! BP is doing this with most co tent anymore. Time to delete app.
Load More Replies...Here's one I snapped in Sydney that was SHOUTING AT ME from a shopfront. ALLCAPS-65...cc0883.jpg
people saying its not working thats not bp's problem its ypur device/internet stop blaming bp for your problems
HERE'S ONE I SNAPPED IN A SYDNEY SHOP FRONT. IT WAS SHOUTING AT ME.... ALLCAPS-65...780006.jpg
Why Brother uploading headlines not followed by any content.... very frustrating
Agreed! BP is doing this with most co tent anymore. Time to delete app.
Load More Replies...Here's one I snapped in Sydney that was SHOUTING AT ME from a shopfront. ALLCAPS-65...cc0883.jpg
people saying its not working thats not bp's problem its ypur device/internet stop blaming bp for your problems
HERE'S ONE I SNAPPED IN A SYDNEY SHOP FRONT. IT WAS SHOUTING AT ME.... ALLCAPS-65...780006.jpg
