Ads That Go Awry Spark Controversy

Ah, advertising. The 1930s performer Will Rogers famously referred to it as "the art of convincing people to spend money they don't have for something they don't need."

But that time-honored tradition can easily run afoul of the other mandate of the modern advertiser: to amp up the imagery, language or overall shock value of an ad to get your client's product to stand out in a crowded marketplace, says Brett Michael Dykes, a national affairs writer. This year, the clash of these central directives has generated a lot of buzz for some major ad clients — just not the kind that they were hoping for.


Burger King's "The King's Gone Crazy" campaign

 The ad in question features BK's trademark king running frantically through an office building, apparently as an escaped mental patient, pursued by a man dressed in a white lab coat who yells, "Stop that King, he's crazy!" The runaway King proceeds to run through the glass window of a break room to hand a burger over to a woman standing next to a microwave. Then two bow-tied men materialize and subdue him — the clear implication being that they are attendants from a mental hospital. They tell the shocked woman holding the burger that "this King's insane" for giving away "so much beef for $3.99." Smitten with the low price, she replies to one of the attendants, "you're the one who's nuts." "I was stunned. Absolutely stunned and appalled," says Michael Fitzpatrick, executive director for the Arlington-based National Alliance on Mental Illness, one of the nation's largest mental health advocacy organizations. He called the ad "blatantly offensive" and hopelessly retro in its depiction of mental illness, adding that the commercial could lead to further stigmatization, the primary barrier for individuals to seek out treatment. "We understand edgy," Fitzpatrick says. "But this is beyond edgy. Way beyond." David Shern, president and chief executive of Mental Health America in Alexandria, says the ad was "a perfect storm of images and words coming together," comparing it to an advertisement using the word "idiot" while featuring someone who was mentally challenged. Both groups sent letters to Burger King asking that the advertisement be removed.

Mental health organizations have spoken out against ad campaigns in the past, such as Vermont Teddy Bear's 2005 Valentine's product, which featured a "Crazy-for-You" teddy in a straitjacket (because nothing says love like restricted arm movement and claustrophobia). Or a 2007 General Motors commercial in which a robot jumps off bridge after being fired from the assembly line. Some have pointed out that the Burger King ad — which recently ended its scheduled run — was reminiscent of the old "Crazy Eddie" discount electronics store ads that ran in the Northeast for a number of years. The real Crazy Eddie, a man by the name of Eddie Antar, spent a number of years in prison on fraud-related charges. The cheap-burger-slinging King remains on the right side of the law, so far as we know.

POM's "Cheat Death" campaign

You may have heard something in the last few years about pomegranate juice helping you live a longer, healthier life. In the event you haven't, POM Wonderful, a company that harvests, packages and markets the antioxidant-laced beverage, is going the extra mile to make sure that you do. An outdoor print-ad campaign by the company in the Chicago area featured a bottle of the juice with a hangman's noose draped over the neck of the bottle. Next to the image were the words, "Cheat Death," a not-so-subtle implication that drinking POM Wonderful will help you elude the Grim Reaper's clammy grasp. The company pulled the ads after Chicagoans complained that it conjured up all sorts of unpleasant memories of lynchings and executions. But according to one advertising insider, POM is an old hand at death-themed come-ons, so don't be surprised if you see similar campaigns from them in the future. The controversial noose ad is actually not a new execution, so to speak. It has existed in the large portfolio of POM advertising since 2006, the spokesman said, but it's unclear whether the ad ever previously ran in the Chicago market. This latest advertising push is in just a few major cities where the company hasn't done a major marketing effort recently, which, in addition to Chicago, include Boston, Washington, D.C. and Miami. It should come as no surprise, really, that POM would try to push the limits of acceptable advertising, even in a relatively conservative market like Chicago. POM is owned by Lynda Resnick, an aggressive and outspoken veteran businesswoman who has grown a number of familiar brands, such as Fiji bottled water and the Teleflora floral service, through aggressive and clever marketing.

Don’t be Left Behind: Engage your Business in Social Media

Social Media is a powerful tool to enhance a business’ online strategy. Having an extended online relationship with your customers through social media will increase their involvement with your brand offline. Managers and owners that understand the importance of a strong online presence definitely develop a healthier communication with customers. This communication doesn’t stop there, it creates many more opportunities. It’s time to take control of the outcomes and tap into social media by enabling social tools on your business’ website and interacting with your users. If you are unsure, consider this:

·         “Your customers and rivals are figuring blogs out. Our advice: Catch up…or catch you later” – Business Week

·         “Social Media Will Change Your Business” – Business Week

·         “Facebook, has 200,000,000 – number of active users” – The Future Buzz

·         “Facebook, 100 – number of friends the average user has” – The Future Buzz

·         “10,432,575,000 – number of Tweets to date” - gigatweet

·         “Twitter tweets: 600 per second” – Search Engine Land

·         “133,000,000 – number of blogs indexed by Technorati since 2002″ – The Future Buzz

·         “346,000,000 – number of people globally who read blogs” ComScore

Everyone that works in the daily operations of any business is busy wearing many hats trying to thrive. There is always very limited time to accomplish the many tasks of the daily operation and you may think you don’t have the time to engage in social media.

There are innumerable reasons why social media is imperative for businesses. Here are five factors that are relevant for the inclusion of social media and the importance of social media adoption in a website development strategy.

1. Extended business relationship

If someone asks a question to a clerk in a store, the clerk most likely will give a prompt and adequate answer -as close as possible to a solution to that person’s needs. In social media it is similar. In most cases this interaction may involve people that are interested in a specific company, brand, product or service. They inquire about offers, or have questions or comments about goods and services. Social media let managers and owners jump into the conversation, and build relationships with new or existing customers.

2. Extended way of communication

Your communication can create, clarify, refer, lead. Due to the two way nature of social media, it creates a better understanding of what people are saying about your business. You can get a sense of what customers think and feel about your company. Should you encounter negative feedback, you have the ability to respond and the opportunity to turn that person into a happy customer.

3. Extended way of referrals

Whether or not you are active in the online presence of your business, social media is creating referrals. Sources like Yelp, Twitter, Facebook, and specialty blogs are becoming the easiest way people share their opinions with friends and strangers. Plus, these services offer solutions for business to engage in communication, helping you manage comments and opinions about your business.

4. Extended brand awareness

Social media offer you more control over your brand. People have a perception of your business, and this can depend strongly on what you say. A company can give insight about their business helping others understand why they should choose them over someone else. Likewise, when you introduce a new product, social media allow users to post experiences, how-to, and reviews making those people your brand evangelicals.

5. Extended way of sharing an opinion

Don’t let your brand be moved by the flow, interact, participate, share, discover…! There are many social sites where people are sharing their opinions about your business. There is always room for everyone in the social media field. Participate and engage with those interested in your industry.

In a recent conversation with Sadao Nelson, a wine consultant for Restaurants in San Francisco and Manager of COCO500 Restaurant, he mentioned that social media has not taken a big deal of his time. Responding to Yelp, Twitter, and Facebook comments takes only a few dedicated daily minutes and the job’s done! Sadao also happens to be the former manager of The Corner Restaurant. In the early days he created an online profile on social media sites for The Corner and it has turned excellent results on Google and Yahoo.

We hope you see the advantages social media can bring to your business and start using them. If you need help, contact us at info (at) jd-anderson (dot) com and be sure to read the next post, Social Media: Getting Started