Worst ads of 2022

Worst ads of 2022
7 min read

An advertising campaign is typically a series of advertisements that promotes the product or service through single-theme messages or ideas that make up an integrated marketing communication. They are mostly similar in nature. There have been various advertising campaigns that have changed the world of advertisements.

However, there are a few campaigns that received huge backlash from the audience and made all branding agencies careful not to repeat the same. Every year there is a list of such commercials that became popular for all the wrong reasons. Let us look at some campaigns that lost their game to the audience in the year 2022.

*Layer’rShot: The top of the list is a sheer example of brands going too far with a concept, without thinking the social message it portrays and how badly it can throw the brand off the rails. Layer'r Shot has received tremendous backlash online over the two advertisements for their body spray. The ads are being called out on social media for promoting rape culture. According to several social media users, the ads were broadcast during a cricket match and show women getting scared that they will be sexually assaulted or harassed by a bunch of men making suggestive comments. The two advertisements featured a group of men and a woman, first in a room and the other in a grocery store. The men talk about taking a "shot" at the woman, a pun deemed distasteful and "disgusting" by several viewers.

*Volkswagen: In recent times, brands have so many channels to get right, starting with traditional advertising, to now social media channels. However, these platforms can throw up problems in the most unlikely ways. It's important to get the right social media handle, but most companies will go for the company name without giving it much more thought.  In the case of Volkswagen Italy social media users saw the brand fall prey to the utterly modern branding failure. It so happened that the username accidentally spelt something offensive. The brand placed the words 'Volkswagen' and 'Italia' next to each other, and took out the space and made it lowercase, and the result became @volkswagenitalia which instantly went viral. The takeaway from such accidents is to check even the smallest of details where one would think nothing remiss could happen. The blunder could have been avoided by a simple stop between the words.

*UberEats: Door-to-door delivery services have become a staple of everyday life in the 21st century. “Uber Don’t Eats” was initially launched for the Superbowl back in February 2022. The campaign featured an abundance of A-List celebrities, including Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Coolidge and Trevor Noah. With such an impressive selection of celebs, one would expect the advert to make everyone laugh and cry. However, the result did quite the opposite. The premise of the campaign suggests that anything delivered by Uber Eats is, by definition, edible. Without hesitation, the featured celebrities proceed to consume various household items, including aluminium foil, cat litter, washing-up liquid, deodorant, sun cream and more. Twitter users were both amused and disgusted by the campaign. While intended as light-hearted humour, the advert was perceived by many as cringe-worthy nonsense and was even considered to promote dangerous messages of harmful ingestion. The effect made the US authorities urging viewers to “not eat soap”. With a gleaming list of Hollywood celebs lending their time to the campaign, arguably much more could have been achieved to create brand awareness.

*Burger King: Each year during Pride Month, brands take the opportunity to stand for the cause. The easiest and most popular method is for brands to add a rainbow flag component to their profile images or share a post announcing their support of the LGBTQ community. Last year, Burger King Austria presented "two equal buns" in a hamburger for Pride Month or hamburger ingredients sandwiched in between two Sesame top buns or two bottom flat buns. The German agency behind the idea, Jung von Matt Donau, said the gesture represented "equal love and equal rights." Not only did the move fall flat, but members of the LGBTQ community pointed out that it gestures at some sexual innuendo. Resulting to this, Jung von Matt Donau had to apologize for the campaign and said it would do a better job consulting the LGBTQ community for future brand imagery.

*Duolingo: Duolingo has emerged as one of the savviest brands on TikTok. The account jokingly threatens viewers to do their language lessons, leans into trends, and features hilarious appearances from its mascot, Duo the Owl. But in 2022, the brand stepped into muddy waters via the infamous Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard trial, which was exploding on TikTok at the time. "Y'all think Amber watches TikTok?" the account wrote underneath a clip of Heard's testimony. The comment was deleted, after commenters slammed the company for cracking jokes about domestic violence.  Later in the year, Duolingo again raised eyebrows, responding to an old video of Katy Perry being blasted by slime at Nickelodeon's Kids Choice Awards on Twitter

A brand should undertake thorough research of its target market. Irrespective of whether it is local or global, or a brand that is recognized and available in most of the pin codes of the country, the research team must know about their target audience. It’s better not to step on controversial topics as people nowadays are very much sensitive about almost everything. As stated before, advertising is tricky, but once a brand hits the right chords, the communication may go viral all over.

Conclusion

Examining the worst ads of 2022 provides valuable insights into the potential pitfalls of advertising campaigns. These examples serve as cautionary tales for businesses and highlight the importance of strategic planning and creative execution. While the mentioned ads may have missed the mark in capturing audience attention or delivering compelling messages, it is crucial to acknowledge the role of an advertising agency in mitigating such risks. An experienced and skilled advertising agency can bring valuable expertise, market knowledge, and creative vision to the table. By collaborating with an advertising agency, businesses can harness their expertise to develop impactful and memorable campaigns that resonate with their target audience. The analysis of the worst ads of 2022 serves as a reminder for companies to carefully select and partner with an advertising agency that can help them navigate the complexities of the ever-evolving advertising landscape and create successful campaigns that leave a lasting positive impression.

 

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