Advertising and marketing mess-ups of 2012
Major brands including Ikea, KitchenAid, Kit Kat and Urban Outfitters took an uncomfortable trip through the public opinion wringer in 2012. Companies ran advertisements referencing rape, offered discounts connected to devastating storms and employed mascots indirectly linked to child pornography. They misused social media, made controversial omissions and, on occasion, tried too hard to be funny. Here, some of the worst marketing and advertising decisions of the year.
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Nestle pairs Kit Kat with Pedobear-lookalike( The Age / Nestle )Kit Kat bars are a favorite candy for young children – which is why associating the brand with a character linked to pedophilia is probably a poor marketing move. This summer, Nestle-owned Kit Kat decided to use a light-hearted image of a person dressed in a bear costume playing the drums as its inaugural Instagram photo on Facebook. Unfortunately, visitors quickly noted that the photo closely resembled Pedobear, a meme linked to child pornography. Kit Kat representatives said they had never heard of the character, but took down the Instagram photo anyway. |
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