Now That's What I Call Edgy!: 3 Companies That Went Too Far on Social Media
- Lyndon Smith
- Nov 10, 2023
- 2 min read
Image: Santoku
One of the most common issues faced by companies in the new media landscape is the fact that when you talk to your audience, they reply to everyone. Many companies have stepped on proverbial landmines as a result of this, especially when the social media marketers are attempting to be little edgy in their content. Here are three of the worst offenders:
3. IHOP Judges You on Your Cup Size
Image: Daily Mail
Back in the early days of Twitter, most companies were still trying to find not only their own voice, but where the boundaries of acceptable marketing laid. In 2015, IHOP did them all a huge favour by very clearly demonstrating that belittling 50% of their customers may not be a great option for a corporate voice.
Image: Veritalby Vegitarian
"Nah, nothing comes to mind. Lets go with the titties."
Audiences were suitably angry about this, and the tweet was quickly deleted. IHOP issued an apology admitting the tweet was 'dumb and immature', apparently forgetting that the internet is nothing but dumb and immature. Probably should've addressed the whole 'sexist' thing there instead.
2. Burger King Forgets How Twitter Works
Image: Marketingoops
On International Women's Day in 2021, Burger King tried to skirt controversy by tweeting a simple message; 'Women belong in the kitchen'. If this was a ploy to receive attention, it definitely worked, with their fanbase quickly going into an understandable meltdown. However, turns out there was more to their message.
Image: Kendall Brown
"YEAH! MYSOGONY!!...Haha, just kidding guys. ...Guys?"
Viewed as a whole thread it's really not that bad, but unfortunately twitter didn't display the whole thread immediately, meaning most users saw only the first tweet and promptly unfollowed or posted furious comments. Except for 288,000 users, who apparently liked it according to the above image. Stay classy, internet.
1. Pabst Blue Ribbon Has A Breakdown Mid Post
Image: De'Coldest Tweeter
It's really the only explanation for this painfully unaware tweet. Pabst Blue Ribbon do have a history of edgy social media posts, but this tweet from January 2022 found the line and vomited vaguely lager-flavoured water all over it.
After deleting the tweet and hastily cobbling together an apology, PBR claimed the matter would be dealt with internally. This presumably resulted in either the firing of one particularly sad incel, or an 8 year old being sent to his room.
"No, wait, I got another one...BOOBIE FART."
Image: Ahmed Hindawi
Social media marketers can a learn a lot from these examples. A bit of edge may be a worthy tactic but you have to consider a few things. Does the company culture fit? Are you punching up or down in society? How does the platform in question display your content? And in the case of PBR, do I really need to be drinking at work?
Got any more examples of social media marketing fails? Share them in the comments below.
Hi Lyndon,
I thoroughly enjoyed reading your post; it was quite entertaining.
It's intriguing how many major brands seemed to miss the mark with their communication strategies. Brand personality has a proven influence on consumer behavior, so I wonder if their inability to control the narrative played a role, as seen in Burger King's attempt to highlight the lack of female chefs in the industry.
Do you think this might have played a role? I also stumbled upon an interesting study about the significance of brand personality in shaping consumer behavior if you're interested:
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.903170/full
Looking forward to your thoughts!
Michaal
Hi Lyndon,
Great article! And you're absolutely right!
Before internet and social media, organisations would ask the question, "Would you be comfortable seeing that on the front page of the newspaper?" when making decisions. But today's newspaper is just tomorrow's wrapping for fish and chips! Whereas, everything on the internet and social media can be kept forever. And with more and more users globally, it's really important that marketers now quadruple check what they're putting out into the public domain.
Cheers,
Jackie
Hey Lyndon, thanks for a great laugh and fantastic blog post. I do find it amusing that so many failed "edgy" marketing campaigns revolve around sex or sexism. Your commentary on the above mentioned campaigns is hilarious. Looking forward to reading what you come up with next.
Hi Lyndon, It was a great read! The examples which you've given is a much needed caution to us as social media marketers (as well as for brands). A small mistake can have a significant impact on how customers perceive the brand.
Here's another such Social media fail, KitchenAid's tweet in 2012. An employee accidentally posted a personal tweet on KitchenAid's official account about President Obama's grandmother! This is a big reminder for us on keeping our personal and corporate accounts seperate and to double-check before posting. I enjoyed reading your post, the flow of content is very smooth and kept me reading till the end without missing a word.
I'm Looking forward to your next post!
Hey Lyndon! I loved your blog post on social media fails! Like Kendall Jenner's tone-deaf Pepsi ad, these social media fails serve as a reminder that social media is a tricky terrain, and sometimes even the big brands need a GPS.
Thank you for the hilarious and insightful rundown!