Not all publicity is good publicity

From poorly written scripts to inauthentic attempts at connecting with an audience, there are various reasons why an ad might be considered cringe-worthy. While these ads sometimes achieve top-of-mind awareness, they can also reflect poorly on a brand’s identity, potentially causing more harm than good in the long run.

My 3 pet peeves that make ads cringe-worthy

Cringe is subjective, but I looked into some of what I believe are the most cringe-worthy ads and identified why they might be detrimental to their brands.

1. Poorly scripted ads

   You might have chanced upon ads like these while watching videos on YouTube. Yes, the Rise of Kingdoms ad.

   Why are these ads harmful to their brand? They damage the product’s reputation and break the audience's trust. Such ads give the impression that the product's quality is as poor as the commercials. In this particular case, even if the gameplay is great, the negative sentiment from the ads lingers. That’s why maintaining a brand’s reputation in advertising is crucial.

2. Woke-washing

   Next up is Pepsi’s ad featuring Kendall Jenner. This example is an important reminder that even with a high production value and an A-list star, bad publicity is possible if we’re not mindful of our approach.

   Pepsi received significant backlash, losing trust among its advocates — trust that had taken years to build and only minutes to undo. According to online sources, Pepsi's brand reception reached its lowest point in over eight years as a result.

   In a world where woke-washing is becoming increasingly prevalent, it’s more important than ever for brands to tread lightly when taking a stand on social causes. While I commend Pepsi for their courageous attempt, I strongly believe their execution failed to come across as authentic in advocating for the cause they stood for. To me, that is the main reason it received bad publicity.

   It’s normal for advertisements to feature over-promising and unrealistic portrayals of their products. However, when it comes to raising awareness on social causes, empathy and caution must always be practised. That’s just the rule of thumb.

Ads that don’t tell a story

Another example is Quiznos’ Spongmonkeys commercial. While it was certainly memorable, it was also confusing for many viewers.

Before I continue, I want to clarify that Quiznos' ad does not necessarily generate bad publicity. Their objective might simply have been to sell more products. By reaching a wide audience and creating noise with memorable, eyebrow-raising content, they may have achieved just that. And truth be told, Quiznos is not the only brand using such marketing strategies.

There are no strict rules in the world of advertising (for the most part). While this freedom can be beneficial, it also allows for almost anything to be done with airtime. With that said, I hope you’re convinced that good advertising always trumps cringe-worthy ads — unless, of course, you subscribe to the notion that there’s no such thing as bad publicity.

Links

- Rise of Kingdoms ad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_hUCgQwhGs

- Pepsi Kendall Jenner ad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VogNNsQ3Gmw

- Quiznos’ Spongmonkeys ad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuPTZWhz46M