Brand Marketing: Analyzing the marketing failures of Durex and KFC!

If you are good at marketing, you will have a great time selling goods.

Whether it is celebrity endorsements or cross-border collaborations, brands that are good at marketing tactics can always attract a large number of fans.

For example, Durex, the marketing guru, although it sells "safety equipment", its advertisements are ubiquitous and suitable for all ages. Every time a new copy is published, it will be circulated around the world. It makes all the “serious” brands in the world want to be teased by it, for example: “Dear Wrigley’s Gum, thank you for being on my left and being an excuse to buy me.” “Dear Durex, you’re welcome, just ask me if you have any.”

However, in recent times, all major brands have collectively failed, perhaps because of something they did not know. Today we will take stock of these classic cases of failure.

1. KFC's Mother's Day Crash

As one of the earliest American global fast food chains to enter the Chinese market, KFC, nicknamed "Kaifeng cuisine", is well-known in China for its celebrity endorsements.

When new products are launched every year, popular stars are invited to endorse the products, such as Li Yuchun, Zhu Yilong, Zhou Dongyu, Wang Yuan, Lu Han, etc., relying on the celebrity fame and popularity to attract young consumers.

Image source: Internet

However, this professional team has become a hot topic again this year because of its Mother's Day advertisement.

Why say again? KFC was previously on the hot search list because of its new image. The originally amiable old grandfather turned into a greasy man with eight-pack abs, subverting the image in the public's mind.

Image source: Internet

Before everyone has adjusted to the new image, KFC is stirring up trouble again, launching an "eye-catching" Mother's Day advertisement on Instagram. The short film stars members of the male striptease dance troupe Chippendale. It is obviously a warm Mother's Day, but the scenes have nothing to do with Mother's Day and even seem vulgar.

Image source: Internet

This advertisement was a complete failure in the country and was even criticized by netizens and became a hot topic.

Image source: Internet

Changing the brand image can help it gain the trust of younger and trendier customers, but taking the risk of skirting the law and engaging in vulgar marketing while iterating the brand image will be difficult to gain recognition, at least in the Chinese market. Therefore, no matter how mature the brand or how experienced the marketing team is, they still need to understand the psychology of consumers, identify the target consumer group, clarify the brand positioning, and maintain a certain scale when transforming.

2. Durex overturned due to speeding

The question is, in the Chinese marketing world, who can always maintain the balance between ambiguity and teasing, who can make sexual innuendo unmatched, and who can make the copywriting look greasy if taken too far and boring if taken too far? Only Durex.

Durex's series of cross-border marketing campaigns tells you what is just right. for example:

For example:

But success or failure is due to marketing. On April 19 this year, when many young Chinese men and women were waiting for for one night, the topic of "419 Sleepless Night" initiated by Durex and several major brands turned itself into a synonym for low taste, vulgarity and obscene thoughts overnight.

The triggering point was that the interaction between Heytea and Durex was directly denounced by netizens as disgusting and vulgar marketing.

Left: Screenshot of Durex's official Weibo account. Right: Heytea's apology post on Weibo.

Later, neither Durex nor Heytea responded, but took practical action by replacing the posters. Heytea issued an apology, but this could not reverse the negative impact this incident had on the brand.

Image source: Durex official Weibo

We can't say anything about Durex, after all, your copywriting has been so excellent in the past; so, please drive safely and don't speed, experienced driver, after all, there is only a fine line between being romantic and being vulgar.

3. Coco Tree Coconut Juice Failure

When it comes to Coco Tree coconut juice, as consumers, the editors of Eggjie Startup all love to drink it. As the editor of this article, we think its packaging is definitely a landslide in the advertising industry.

In 2018, Coco Tree Coconut Juice changed the slogan on its packaging as scheduled, from the original "29 years of persistence in Hainan Island" to "30 years of persistence in Hainan Island". In addition, this design, which looks like a small advertisement on a telephone pole, has become the most obvious symbol of Coco Tree Coconut Juice.

In fact, the person who created this unique design style was Wang Guangxing, the chairman of the Coconut Tree Group. The initial packaging from 1989 to 2004 was actually completed by an art team, but due to friction, the design team was withdrawn. Wang Guangxing himself took charge of the packaging. He used the idea of ​​contrasting colors on the original black can and created a packaging style that has been popular for more than a decade using only Word.

Coco Tree’s magical packaging has been maintained for 30 years and has become a highly recognizable brand packaging, and has also made the Coco Tree brand a success. But its TV commercials are often confusing. The beautiful models who climb trees when they disagree with something, all have the same advertising slogan: "Drink Coco Tree Coconut Juice, and become fair and tender."

Especially after the Spring Festival in 2019, Coco Tree set off a wave of public opinion on the Internet. Because this time when the new packaging was changed, the tradition of previous endorsements was continued. The bottle was clearly printed with the slogan "I have been drinking it since I was a child", implying that Coco Tree coconut juice has the effect of breast enhancement, and that this product was already sold in many places at that time. Consumers questioned the suspected false advertising, which aroused public opinion.

On February 13, the Haikou Municipal Industry and Commerce Department announced that it had opened an investigation into the Hainan Coconut Tree Group for allegedly publishing vulgar and false advertisements. That night, the Coco Tree Group responded: the slogan means that the model has been drinking Coco Tree coconut juice since she was a child, and the company has never promoted that coconut juice has the effect of breast enhancement.

In the face of the Coconut Tree Group’s cry of injustice, public opinion still does not buy it.

On the afternoon of the 14th, @Hainan Coconut Tree Group, which was caught up in the vortex of vulgar advertising content and suspected false advertising, released a new advertising video on its official Weibo. This 15-second advertising video retained the slogan "Drink from childhood to adulthood" and abandoned the original "fair, tender and plump" female model as the spokesperson, replacing it with actors with the image of elementary school students, middle school students and college students.

In fact, the reason why Coco Tree Coconut Juice has achieved what it has today is mainly due to its products and distribution channels. Its brand marketing is average, but the outer packaging that has been used for 30 years is indeed magical and has absolute brand recognition. So when doing advertising, there is no need to play by the rules. Although there are many people across the country who, like the editor of Danjie Entrepreneurship, have indeed gone from elementary school to university.

4. Audi hits the bottom line and flips

Audi gives people the impression of being calm and majestic, and because of its domestic background, it has been the first choice for government vehicles in the 1980s. However, with the fierce market competition and the increasing demand for private vehicle purchases, Audi also hopes to become the preferred brand of family cars, so Audi launched such an advertisement.

This 34-second promotional video uses the mother-in-law's series of checks on the bride at the wedding to illustrate that the quality of Audi's officially certified used cars is trustworthy. If families need to buy a used car, Audi is the first choice.

In the commercial, the groom's mother's uncivilized behavior of "pinching the nose, scratching the ears, and pulling the mouth" of the bride caused dissatisfaction among netizens. At the same time, the "subtext" of comparing the bride to a used car and choosing a wife to choosing a used car was suspected of insulting women. Many netizens reposted the commercial and said that the commercial objectified and insulted women, and that Audi was "disgusting and showing its low standards." They also published comments accusing Audi of inappropriateness in its used car brand advertisement.

We are not afraid of you doing propaganda, but we are afraid that your propaganda is in the wrong direction and touches the bottom line of human morality - the elderly, children, women, love, family, sympathy, country, and national unity can never be questioned or desecrated.

5. Strawberry Music Festival photo editing gone wrong

"Strawberry Music Festival" is a place that many young people go to check in every year. Such an event that brings together a large number of trendy and cool young people is naturally a rare opportunity for many brands.

Just like the Strawberry Music Festival in 2018, many brands promoted their brands to young people through title sponsorship. For example, Country Garden and its long-term rental apartment brand BIG+ International Community sponsored the main stage; Tuborg Beer launched an online theme event in the early stage of the music festival, interacting with young people through hot topics and presenting the brand's youthful attitude. There are also pop-up stores and markets that convey brand connotations; some brands, such as Orion, use booth interactions to amplify the brand's voice.

However, in their latest copy on April 22, 2019, they repeated the mistake of Durex and Heytea , posting a photoshopped picture on Weibo. Their original intention might have been to promote their music as being so good that it could make people's ears pregnant, but the vulgar copy made people feel disgusted.

The next morning, Modern Sky deleted the controversial Weibo post, saying it was a "wrong creative direction" and apologized.

We young people like to be naughty, because it is fun to be naughty occasionally, but this does not mean that we young people have no sense of responsibility and moral boundaries, so don't cross the line easily.

6. Summarize a few rules

So how do you make your brand marketing appealing without being over the top? We have summarized a few small rules for your reference.

1. No matter what you say in the beginning, you must convey the correct values ​​in the end

In recent years, major companies have been promoting their products, such as Alibaba’s marketing value of “making it easy to do business anywhere” and MUJI’s advocacy of natural, frugal and simple life values. In fact, these large companies are no longer just selling products and services, but more about creating value and recognition.

It’s all right to follow hot topics or be funny and nonsensical, but ultimately the values ​​we want to convey must be positive. After all, the world is difficult and a happy and fulfilling life is the ultimate pursuit of most people.

2. No matter who you cross borders with, first clarify who you are

For example, the failed collaboration between Durex and Heytea and other brands. Although the cross-border cooperation may make people feel very surprised, their purpose is not clear, whether it is branding or selling products, and the content disseminated is too radical and risky. The imagined scenes are somewhat pornographic rather than erotic. If they completely cross the line, the final effect will only become 1+1<2. Durex can become a "veteran driver" because he is a "driver" himself.

3. Avoid objectifying women and touching on sensitive topics

When playing the edge marketing game, it is very important to grasp the "degree". Bad creativity can not only make the audience feel sick, but also be a vulgar joke that objectifies women. Just like the previous negative news about Juewei Duck Neck, excessive marketing has had a huge impact on the company and its products’ popularity, reputation, and brand image. As for sensitive topics, we don’t need to list them one by one, readers should be aware of them.

4. Combine products to create your own characteristics

When a brand enters a new market, it must take local cultural characteristics into consideration and create brand characteristics based on local user habits, cultural attributes, etc. For example, the catering industry needs to consider consumers' tastes, living habits, and food ingredients. Also, when investigating the market, you should pay attention to the local situation of the industry you want to engage in. If it is a blank market, what is your strategy? If the competition is fierce, it will be a different situation. We cannot fight a battle unprepared.

Finally, brand marketing is like falling in love with consumers. Once you have a bad record, it will take a lot of effort to make up for it later, which is not worth it. Therefore, don’t cross boundaries that you don’t want to cross; don’t try to take advantage of hot topics that you don’t want to take advantage of.

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Author: Egg Solution Entrepreneurship

Source: Danjie Entrepreneurship (ID: manjiechuangye)