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Marketing gaffes: Difference between revisions

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(Created page with ""Gaffe" = a bad mistake that should have been avoided Marketing gaffes occur when a company "markets" (advertise, sell, promote) a brand without anticipating negative consequences or consumer backlash == Classic marketing gaffes == === Chevy Nova === * General Motors promoted the Chevrolet "Nova" without realizing that the name, "Nova" would be understood to Spanish speakers as "no va", or "doesn't go" ** wikipedia calls this story an "urban legend": wikipedia:Che...")
 
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Marketing gaffes occur when a company "markets" (advertise, sell, promote) a brand without anticipating negative consequences or consumer backlash  
Marketing gaffes occur when a company "markets" (advertise, sell, promote) a brand without anticipating negative consequences or consumer backlash  
== Lack of cross-cultural awareness ==
* many marketing blunders result from a company that tries to market a product or brand in another country without awareness of cultural sensitivities and attitudes in that country
* many such gaffes arise from poor translation
* others arise from a lack of awareness of consumer cultural preferences
** for example, in the 1990s, Wilson Sporting Goods company hired an American consulting firm to analyze the potential for the brand's presence in the Brazilian soccer (futbol) market
*** Wilson had an existing strong presence in the tennis category
*** and remains so, in the 2020s -- without any breakthrough into soccer
*** soccer is a heavily brand-sensitive market in Brazil, and consumers simply did not associate "Wilson" with soccer
* see
** [https://www.theguardian.com/media/2003/nov/17/advertising Blooper proves bum deal for Sharwoods | Advertising | The Guardian]
** "[https://armanlinkbuilding52525252.medium.com/results-of-poor-cross-cultural-awareness-a20b7cec0fc1#:~:text=Results%20of%20Poor%20Cross%20Cultural%20Awareness.%20Having%20a,lead%20to%20blunders%20that%20can%20have%20damaging%20consequences. Results of Poor Cross Cultural Awareness | by arman linkbuilding | Medium]"


== Classic marketing gaffes ==
== Classic marketing gaffes ==
=== the Burger King ===
* now called "BK", the maker of "Burger King" hamburgers tried to promote its mascot by posing the "Burger King" in a variety of everyday or known scenes (such as in an audience at an event) or having the mascot show up unexpectedly, such as in a man's bed when he woke up
* however, the Burger King mascot was seen as "creepy"
** [https://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2090074_2090076_2090115,00.html Burger King's King - Top 10 Creepiest Product Mascots - TIME]
** [https://www.miaminewtimes.com/restaurants/the-burger-king-returns-as-creepy-as-ever-7656552 The Burger King Returns as Creepy as Ever | Miami New Times]


=== Chevy Nova ===
=== Chevy Nova ===
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** wikipedia calls this story an "urban legend": [[wikipedia:Chevrolet_Chevy_II_/_Nova#Urban_legend|Chevrolet Chevy II / Nova - Wikipedia]]
** wikipedia calls this story an "urban legend": [[wikipedia:Chevrolet_Chevy_II_/_Nova#Urban_legend|Chevrolet Chevy II / Nova - Wikipedia]]
** however, the story came from somewhere, so it was most likely a common joke in Spanish-speaking Nova markets
** however, the story came from somewhere, so it was most likely a common joke in Spanish-speaking Nova markets
=== Fresca ===
* similarly to the Chevy "Nova," the soft drink's launch in Mexico was marred by an unintended translation
* this time with the Mexican slang term "fresca" for lesbian
** see: [https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/advertising-blunders-five-lesser-known-classics-kate-robinson Advertising blunders: Five of the lesser-known classics (linkedin.com)]
*** derived from: [https://armanlinkbuilding52525252.medium.com/results-of-poor-cross-cultural-awareness-a20b7cec0fc1#:~:text=Results%20of%20Poor%20Cross%20Cultural%20Awareness.%20Having%20a,lead%20to%20blunders%20that%20can%20have%20damaging%20consequences. Results of Poor Cross Cultural Awareness | by arman linkbuilding | Medium]


=== Honda Prelude ===
=== Honda Prelude ===
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* < todo
* < todo
=== Parker pen ===
* the British writing instrument maker Parker launched a slogan for its "Quink" line
** "Avoid embarrassment -- use Quink"
* but instead mistranslated "embarrassment":
** "Avoid pregnancy - use Quink"
see : [https://www.theguardian.com/media/2003/nov/17/advertising Blooper proves bum deal for Sharwoods | Advertising | The Guardian]
=== Sharwoods' Bundh sauce ===
* when the British firm decided to sell its curry sauces in India, it decided upon the name "Bundh"
* the word, "bundh", however, means "ass" ("arse" in Britain) in the local Punjabi language
** see : [https://www.theguardian.com/media/2003/nov/17/advertising Blooper proves bum deal for Sharwoods | Advertising | The Guardian]
== Non-gaffe marketing ==
=== Suburu marketed to lesbians ===
* the Japanese automobile brand is known as a preferred brand for lesbians
* the preference is a result of deliberate marketing by Suburu
** in the 1990s the company ran demographic studies of its buyers
*** it discovered that "female head of household" was a strong demographic
*** so the company decided to deliberately market the vehicle to lesbians
* see: [https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/06/how-subarus-came-to-be-seen-as-cars-for-lesbians/488042/ How Subarus Came to Be Seen as Cars for Lesbians - The Atlantic]
=== Sources/ articles ===
* [https://www.cbc.ca/radio/undertheinfluence/famous-marketing-blunders-1.2801816 Famous Marketing Blunders | CBC Radio]
* [https://www.businessinsider.com/burger-king-tweet-iwd-caused-stir-company-campaign-fails-2021-3#pepsi-1 Five Big-Brand Campaigns That Flopped, From Burger King to Pepsi (businessinsider.com)]
* [https://www.usdatacorporation.com/blog/15-worst-marketing-blunders/ 15 Worst Marketing Blunders Of All-Time | Marketing Campaign Fails (usdatacorporation.com)]


[[Category:Marketing]]
[[Category:Marketing]]
[[Category:Business]]
[[Category:Business]]