Negative advertising is a type of marketing that helps companies show their products and services in an effective light, while also highlighting the weaknesses of competitors.
Bad marketing campaigns can be a real turn-off for potential customers, and the worst part is that they don’t even have to be that bad to do this! It’s often just a small thing that turns people off from your brand. If you’re not careful, it could mean losing out on potential sales and/or damaging your reputation as an advertiser.
There are plenty of examples online where companies have made mistakes with their advertising campaigns – but what exactly makes these adverts so terrible? In order to help you avoid making the same mistakes as others in the future, we’ve compiled a list of some common things which make ads go wrong.
Positive vs negative advertising
Positive advertising
Positive advertising is a powerful tool that can be used by companies to communicate good messages about their products and services. According to WordStream, 45% of ads contain positive messages because they help evoke empathy in customers which results in an increased likelihood for conversion; attract more leads as well as boosting sales at the end!
Negative advertising
Negative advertising can be done by spreading negative information about brands to disqualify them before potential customers who may trust these businesses based on other factors like values or priorities. As such it’s important for advertisers not only take current trends into account when running this kind campaign but also make sure they are targeting at least partly towards someone with similar interests as you do since all demographics want different things out if something so often!
Effects of negative advertising
Negative advertising is a popular strategy for companies to communicate the intended message about competitors and evoke concerns about whether they should continue purchasing with this particular brand. This type of ad can result in decreasing sales volumes, influencing reputation or trust negatively (depending on how well-executed it was), as well as reducing customer loyalty towards brands who are being compared unfavorably against another company’s strengths . By describing weaknesses in your opponent’s product line you’re able show off what makes yours different enough so that consumers will choose one over the other – after all we want people buying our goods!
To put it simply, companies can find various approaches to appeal their audience and some of them prefer negative advertising. Shedding light on the rival’s flaws is one way in which a certain brand expects to undermine its competitor’s reputation while increasing sales for themselves as well as making customers choose this company over any other.
Top failed marketing campaigns
Deparment of education – Spelling really does matter
The Department of Education has caused a social media storm with their mispellings. In an effort to highlight how important education is, they misspelled the name W.E B Du Bois in favor for WEB Doe Boys as Twitter users mercilessly roasted them about it online!
Marketing Lesson: It’s important to always edit your work, and when possible have a few sets of eyes proofreading marketing ads before they go live. This will avoid simple mistakes like this!
American airlines – free first-class travel
The American Airlines company was in tough financial straits when they introduced their AAirpass, which offered unlimited first class flights for a flat rate of $250K. They were hoping that the people who purchase and use these passes would help them raise millions during high interest rates. What ended up happening? By 2007 there are some holders taking 1000’s or more freebies from AA on every flight!
AAirpass holders are lucky to be able to board a plane for free, but it might not always stay that way. loyalty programs could have been better thought out and incentives offered needlessly alienated long-time customers who were already fans of American Airlines before this debacle blew up in their face!
Profitability was undoubtedly lost when people received multiple boarding passes by simply having an “AAirPass.” Companies should think hard about what they’re offering as gifts instead because giving away something expensive like airfare can turn off pockets quickly if there isn’t anything else interesting or useful coming from the brand at hand.
Marketing Lesson: It’s all too easy to get caught up in the moment and offer short-term incentives that don’t really benefit anyone but ourselves. Our customers will be happy with their purchase, but what about us? We’re left paying for something we have no faith in or plan on following through with because there was an incentive involved when making this deal – which means now both parties lose out!
Coca-Cola – changing the formula
Coca-Cola went nuclear during the cola wars against its competitor, Pepsi. While their opponent was smart with ad campaigns like the “Pepsi Challenge” in 1975 which helped them gain an edge over Coke at first because they were sweeter and more popular among consumers as well as those who choose a particular flavor for themselves; however even though it had been shown that people liked NewCo better than ClassicCO KO within taste tests conducted by Coca Cola itself–the company initially fought this change until eventually coming out on top when all seemed lost (and releasing another type altogether) due to what many believed could have come off being just too confusing given how different everyone thought these souped up drinks tasted anyway!
Coca-Cola has been fighting fire with its own product for years. For example, when the company took out cocaine from their recipe they were able to get away without any major damage done but as soon I touched it myself and saw how similar these two substances really are in terms of effect on your brain versus heroin – well that was enough for me!
Marketing Lesson: Coca-Cola is one of the most successful products in history, but it’s also a dangerous thing to mess with. This is because Coca Cola has been able to maintain its core values while adding new flavors that people love and want more than ever before!
Pepsi – kendall jenner ad outrage
In 2017, Pepsi released a commercial featuring TV star and model Kendall Jenner. The advertisement sparked anger from people who felt it trivialized important topics like racism in America or police violence towards civilians of color; however, representatives with the company defended their actions because they intended for “peaceful protests to be expressed peacefully” through these ads instead showing “unity.”
Marketing Lesson: Companies have a bad habit of trying to capitalize on hot-button topics like social issues or politics for their own gain. This strategy can backfire as many ads do not resonate with the audience and instead turn them off from future campaigns, making it more difficult for these brands be seen again in this market space going forward.
Hold your wee for a wii – a pr stunt gone wrong
In 2007, a California radio station held the “Hold Your Wee for Wii Contest”. They promised to give one winner who could drink water without going pee an Nintendo wii console if they won – at least until too much of it turned out be bad and 28 year old Jennifer Strange died from Water Intoxication as a result (she ultimately lost). Suddenly what seemed like just another ill-conceived PR stunt became not only costing someone their life but also costing millions in lawsuit losses for those involved!
Marketing Lesson: All press is not good press. Take a minute to think before you do something purely for publicity, because it could endanger someone else’s life or well being in doing so.
Colgate – frozen dinners
When a company that is known for making toothpaste, tries to introduce new products and succeeds in doing so with one of them being frozen dinners it shows how effective they were at their core business before. People are not always going to like an untraditional product just because its different than what people expect from these types of companies which can lead some businesses into bankruptcy if this continues as well as bad branding opportunities such lacklustre consumers – because there will always be those who refuse change no matter where you go.
A simple fix would have been to invest in a subsidiary company, or purchase smaller ones—giving the consumer another brand they could focus on. Colgate could just as easily pump out their new product with an already established line while consumers experienced brighter smiles from using this one only!
Marketing Lesson: If you’re looking to branch out and explore new horizons, consider separating your branding from marketing for each product.
Sony – white vs. black psp ad
Marketing is a field that can reward the bold, but when your ad metaphors take human form and it’s not as successful in advertising campaigns like Sony’s 2006 white PSP device.
Sony’s faux pas was how they handled the negative PR from this campaign. They seemed to defend it and apologize at different points, which only dug them deeper into their hole by resurfacing again in 2017 with an unfortunate tweet that reignited controversy around authenticity for many people who had seen the ad before then!
Marketing Lesson: Remember that when you’re being artistic in your marketing campaigns, other people may interpret the message differently. And sometimes this interpretation is not positive! So for now know this: respond quickly but with understanding and humility if faced with negative PR about anything at all – even something as simple like how many followers someone has on Instagram or their latest business idea.
Nike – runner charged with firearm murder referred to as “a bullet”
Nike is no stranger to controversy when it comes to celebrity endorsements. But this time, the company was not at fault for their mishap–the culprit turned out in a video game that had gone online prior and tarnished both companies’ images with its gameplay design choices: Nike lost all credibility because they endorsed someone who violated our code of conduct (by playing violent games before). -The gamers association sees how easily we can get tricked into doing things without even realizing what’s going on around us or why people act certain ways towards each other.
Marketing Lesson: The best way to get into the minds of consumers is by becoming part of their lives. A small business needs public figures and influencers, but you should make sure that they are acting on behalf your company with trustworthiness in mind – after all when it comes down to making purchases or choosing who they will buy from for life there aren’t many people willing take risks without knowing where things come from behind closed doors!
Various forms on negative advertising
- Negative Issue advertising attacks a candidate’s position on specific issues or items of public policy. Such advertisements may contain information about an opponent’s political record, voting history and criminal background in order to smear them as someone who doesn’t deserve your vote because they don’t share the same values that you do–the truth is this type if attack can be very convincing!
- Negative issue adverts state outright what politician believes are their weaknesses based upon past votes casted. These ads might mention any stances taken by candidates towards certain topics such as immigration reform which could make it seem like there isn’t.
- Negative image advertising campaigns target negative personal characteristics or traits without addressing the candidate’s position on issues. Such advertisements may contain information about opponents’ medical history, their sex life and family members to paint them in an unfavorable light.
Negative advertising is when a company spreads negative messages about their competitors to get people to buy from them instead.
