The Tech Firms Changing TV Advertising in 2018
This is the first of a two-part series. This week’s article focuses on the worst adverts and why they were so badly received. The second part will explore how to avoid such mistakes.
Last week, we were singing the praise of the best TV Adverts of 2015. For every successful advert, however, there are plenty more TV adverts that spectacularly backfired.
There’s the idea that no press is bad press, but the fallout from the spectacular mistakes of some brands proves this isn’t always the case.
There’s a fine line between humour and taste and most of the adverts below stepped over onto the wrong side. A cynic may argue that people still talk about the mistake, making it invaluable press. But the consequence of such adverts is usually largely negative.
So here are 5 TV adverts that spectacularly backfired:
In theory, this advert could have been highly successful, it was just too risky. It’s probably our favourite example on the list.
LifeLock is in the business of preventing identity theft. Their CEO, Todd Davis, was so confident in the company’s work, that he publicised his own social security number during a television advert.
A number of criminals made him pay for his complacency, using the number successfully on several occasions. As well as one thief taking out a $500 loan, another was able to set up a wireless account. All in, Davis has been the victim of identity fraud 13 times over, according to Wired Magazine.
Davis only found out when collection companies began to call him, which wasn’t the greatest advertisement of LifeLock’s capabilities.
In the strangest ever bid to showcase gender equality, French television channel France 3 ran an advert within an unkempt house that featured an iron burning through a shirt and a smoking oven.
The advert then asks: “Where are the women?”
The answer: “on France 3 … most of our hosts are hostesses.”
A highly chauvinistic way to demonstrate that you have modern views on equality.
The only thing that’s offensive about this advert is how awful it is.
We were hesitant to include such adverts in the list, because they’re not necessarily a bad thing and they haven’t made a huge mistake. Sometimes they even work out quite well.
Take Go Compare’s infuriating Opera Singer adverts, it hurts me to watch it, but it’s become incredibly recognisable and thus could be considered somewhat of a success.
Funnily enough, the advert ended up banned anyway. Not because it was awful, although that would have been apt, but because they overplayed the size of a sofa. This deceit prompted 21 viewers to complain to the Advertising Standards Agency.
DFS are certainly not the worst offenders in this list, but they still deserve their place.
A white Aussie trying to pacify a West Indian crowd with fried chicken. Need we say more?
This advert was quickly pulled due to “stereotyping”.
Rohit Bhargava, a professor of marketing at Georgetown University, perfectly summarised how wrong Groupon got it on Twitter:
Groupon made the mistake of exploring the highly political and incredibly sensitive situation of the Tibetan people within their ad. Unwisely, the coupon site parodied the struggles of Tibet and compared it to that of a restaurant.
In the end, it was an indulgent advert that seemed to delight in western conveniences and the oppression of others.
None of this would have happened if they had done one small thing: used The Living Room. Feel free to get in touch if you want your advertising campaign to be a spectacular success and never make it to a list like this.
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