Biggest brand fails of 2024 so far

We are barely halfway through 2024, and marketers have already seen their fair share of stumbles. From creating ads that incite backlash, to reneging on public promises, to tapping AI to disastrous effect, several brands landed in hot water in the first six months of the year. Below, a look at some of the brand missteps so far this year. 40 under 40 entries are open The final deadline for nominations is Aug. 2 Enter here Apple’s crushing of creativity In early May, Apple released a new ad for its iPad Pro that showed a host of creative objects and tools, including paint cans, a piano and a trumpet, getting destroyed by an industrial crusher. The items are then replaced by the new iPad. Called “Crush,” the video was meant to be a metaphor for all the iPad could be, yet the literal crushing of creativity was not a message that sat well with the creatives who typically trumpet the Apple brand. It was a rare misstep for a brand that typically embraces creativity and Apple admitted it “missed the mark.” Bumble’s fumble When dating service Bumble unveiled a new campaign that included outdoor ads reading “a vow of celibacy is not the answer,” it was trying to connect with singles by being cheeky. Instead, it created a social media firestorm, as many complained the ads appeared to be forcing women into sex and relationships, versus empowering them. In a world where women’s rights are being threatened, the campaign seemed particularly tone-deaf, consumers said. Several took to social media to encourage others to delete the app. The backlash prompted Bumble to remove the billboards and apologize. The fumble also opened the door to rivals, including dating app Feeld, which posted ads encouraging consumers to be themselves over some of Bumble’s ads. Also read: Dating apps have a Gen Z problem—how to fix it Toys R Us’ uncanny valley ad Kids can be moody sometimes and often appear to have different personas. But a child in Toys R Us’ recent ad seemed to actually have different faces as well—something critics were quick to point out. The retailer had touted the 60-second brand film as the first created by using OpenAI’s text-to-video tool Sora. Yet the inconsistences and quality of the imagery enraged many in the creative community as the ad underscored the dangers of the use of AI. Also read: Top 5 AI advancements of 2024 so far BMW’s lack of follow-through While brands such as Stanley, Kohl’s and The North Face have turned social media complaints and feedback into marketing windfalls in recent years, BMW seemed to have missed the memo—or at least the second part of it. The automotive brand responded to a post on TikTok of creator @ReesaTeesa (real name Tareasa Johnson) complaining about how her husband said he would buy her a new car but never did. BMW’s posts made it seem like the brand was gifting the woman a new BMW X5, but the brand’s video was later deleted after others on social media praised the move. The customer later said she had never received a car from BMW. In contrast, Stanley went viral last year for saying it would give a woman a replacement vehicle after hers caught fire—and actually gave her one. Hyundai made BMW look even worse when it gifted Johnson a year-long loan of one of its cars. Lesson to marketers: don’t make promises you can’t keep. @reesamteesa To be clear, no I have not gotten a car from @bmw. Video: Celebrity Cars (YouTube) #reesateesa #fyp #fypシ #dontusemyname #hyundai ♬ Wishing on a Star - Rose Royce Open AI’s potential vocal theft When OpenAI unveiled its new ChatGPT AI-powered voice assistant earlier this year, the voice sounded a lot like Scarlett Johansson. The vocal similarity was emphasized by OpenAI Founder Sam Altman when he posted the word “her” to X, alluding to Johansson’s role as an AI voice assistant in the 2013 movie “Her.” The catch? Johansson said OpenAI asked to use her voice for the new offering, but she declined, later claiming the platform copied her voice. While OpenAI, which later pulled the product, was later found to have used a different voice, the dispute, and Altman’s message, were not a great look for a company looking to endear itself to the masses. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Owala (@owala) Stanley’s lead bottles In January, complaints began trickling onto TikTok that Stanley, the popular water bottle purveyor, used lead in the creation of its wares. When the brand eventually admitted to including the chemical element in its vacuum-sealing process, rivals pounced. Competitors such as Owala, Klean Kanteen, Clearly Filtered and Bkr touted their lead-free wares. @issatete Idk who needs to correct it but it needs to be pulled off the shelves nontheless. Any person could have missed the mistake but it just takes one person to point it out and ask for corrections #blackhistory #blackhistorymonth #blacktiktok ♬ original sound - Issa tete Target’s labeling problem Target ran into trouble in February for a Black History Month magnet kit collection that misidentified several Civil Rights leaders. The inaccuracies, which included mislabels on W.E.B. Du Bois, Booker T. Washington and Carter G. Woodson, were first noticed by a high school U.S. history teacher who shared them on TikTok. Though the retailer removed the product from its stores, the errors were already shared by many on social media. Walmart’s tone-deaf T-shirt After it was discovered that the retailer was selling a T-shirt showing an outline of the state of Texas with the text, “Where the heck is Uvalde, Texas?” seemingly commemorating the site of a mass shooting in which 19 students and two teachers were murdered, Walmart issued an apology. Claiming the item was “well intended,” the chain nevertheless removed it from stores and apologized for “distress” after learning it “was perceived negatively by some customers.”

Biggest brand fails of 2024 so far

Featured Stories