Learn from the Blunders of the Big Dogs

As most small business owners are probably more than aware, money trees don't exist (believe me, I've looked). At the end of the day there really isn't a whole lot of expendable capital remaining. This creates a problem for marketers because we want to be innovative and cutting edge, but it's much easier to do that when we know that there's a financial safety net if a campaign doesn't gain the attention that we expected. It's easy to get yourself into a pinch and you're left wondering, how the hells bells do I get out of this!? 

There have been many companies...BIG companies, who have made some notable mistakes in the past. Small businesses don't have the luxury of having the large revenues or the brand equity to come back after something like that, which means that you need to do your homework. Learn from the blunders of the big dogs so that you don't fall flat on your ars like they did! 

I've gone and done a bit of homework for you (you're welcome). Here are some of the top marketing blunders of 2013 that small businesses can learn from: 

American Red Cross    

A social media/publicity disaster occurred when the American Red Cross' social media specialist posted on their Twitter account about drinking Dogfish Head beer and "getting slizzard". Apparently the social media specialist had meant to post to her private account (McMalcolm, 2013).   

Take Away: Ensure that whoever is representing your company online is a. knowledgeable about the technology and b. is aware of the image that the company would like to convey through its online presence. Really, you don't want to be "that company". 

Turner Broadcasting

In 2007, Cartoon Network launched a guerilla marketing campaign in which they set up LED signs in various places throughout cities to promote one of their cartoons. A resident in Boston, however, thought the devices were bombs and called the police. This turned into a terrorism scare, resulting in the shut-down of many public transportation lines, bridges, and roads. The problem cost the head of Cartoon Network his job, and the broadcasting company $2 million in compensation for the emergency response team (Sibley, 2012). 

              

Take Away: Be cognizant of what's going on in the world around you. Consider how the public will view your campaign because once the public sees it, there's no going back!

Hoover 

Hoover released a promotional offer stating that anyone purchasing a Hoover product costing more than 100 pounds was eligible for two free return air tickets to Europe or the U.S. Any customers buying the cheapest qualifying product, priced at 119 pounds could receive two tickets to New York. At least 100,000 people applied for the flights, and the blunder cost the company at least 20 million pounds--approximately 32 million dollars (Reynolds, 2013). 

Take Away: Never underestimate your customers. They are intelligent and despite what you may think, they do pay attention to the small print. If you're going to offer financial incentives, make sure they won't bankrupt your company (I felt like that one was pretty self explanatory, but apparently not). 

Ikea

The furniture retailer found itself in hot water after Ikea Saudi Arabia used Photoshop to remove all the women from its catalog. Ikea later apologized saying "We should have reacted and realized that excluding women from the Saudi Arabian version of the catalog is in conflict with the Ikea Group values (mdgadvertising.com, 2012)." 

 

Take Away: Always make sure that however you are advertising, it is consistent with your company goals and values. Consumer interest in corporate social conscience is higher than ever, and it's crucial that as a small business you are aware of this and are taking advantage of it. By being socially responsible, you are moving yourself closer to reaching that triple bottom line. 

Gap

In 2010, Gap launched a new, more "modern" logo, but the switch only lasted 2 days. Their loyal customers were outraged because they felt that the change was for the worse. Additionally, Gap also failed to appeal to the new hipper crowd they were hoping for (Sibley, 2012). 

Take Away: This is not an "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" situation. There was no problem with Gap trying to modernize their look. Gap's new logo failed because they forgot to take into account who their target market was and what they loved most about the Gap brand--accessibility and simplicity. You cannot ignore the personification of your brand and how it affects people when you attempt to change that. 

What I hope that you take away from this post is that you can't throw some marketing together and plop it out there to get your boss off of your back. I know it sounds counterproductive but take a second to step back and look at what you're creating! Look at your campaign through the eyes of your consumer, from a socially responsible viewpoint. Does this marketing piece convey who we are as a company? Will this really help us profit in some way? Is it consistent with our goals and values? I say this because most of the blunders that these companies made could have been prevented had they just stopped and asked themselves these questions. 

As a small business, you want your marketing to make an impact. But save yourself the headache and don't fall into the same traps that these companies did.