There's a computer repair shop in Clichy called "Mister Oops!", which makes me laugh every time I pass by. It came to mind when I received Rob Gray's new book Great Brand Blunders. It details epic fails made by brands in their quest to stand out from the crowd. The advertising section of the book contains some infamous errors, notably "You're never alone with a Strand," a 1950s campaign for Strand cigarettes. It featured a solitary guy in a raincoat wandering the streets of London. Although the ad raised awareness of the brand by 90%, nobody bought the product. They didn't want to be seen as lonely.
More recent examples include the sunglasses brand that used the slogan: "Happy to sit on your face." Or British department store Harvey Nichols, which advertised its sale with pictures of models who'd clearly wet their knickers. "Try to contain your excitement," read the tagline. But perhaps the most relevant part of the book concerns Twitter gaffes. The one that made me wince was a tweet from @ChrysterAutos. In 2011 Chrysler was running an ad featuring Eminem and the tagline "Made In Detroit." But an employee of the brand's agency, New Media Strategies, felt compelled to tweet: "I find it ironic that Detroit is known as #motorcity and yet no one here knows how to fucking drive." Like a car, a Twitter account can be a weapon. Make sure yours is in safe hands.
