5 Holiday Campaigns That Totally Missed the Mark in 2012

2012 holiday campaignsintroductory3

Ah, the holidays. When all sorts of companies across every industry try to find a tie-in — any tie-in — between their product or service and a holiday theme.

Okay, I’m being a little snarky, because I usually really love it when companies think outside the box to market themselves. After all, who cares if someone like Old Navy comes up with a cool holiday campaign? They have millions of dollars to spend, and everyone’s going to hit them up for gifts of sweaters and socks, regardless. What’s awesome is when you see a company unexpectedly nail it.

But we’ve already covered the companies that conceived awesome holiday campaigns. So now, it’s time to review the ones that totally missed the mark. Whether offensive, petty, or just plain ridiculous, check out five of the holiday campaigns that threw us for a loop.

Lexus’ ‘A December to Remember’

This year, Lexus is running its December to Remember holiday sales campaign again — one they’ve been running since 1998. You know the one. On Christmas morning, a husband leads his confused wife outside to find, SURPRISE, a brand new Lexus with a big red bow on it.

Thanks, Santa!

Or perhaps you recall one of the most egregious of the campaign’s commercials, where a teenager received a bow-adorned Lexus as a present after asking for a CD player for Christmas. Oh, she got her CD-player … wrapped in a luxury car! Daddy, you’re the best.

I have a few words on why I think this campaign doesn’t quite hit the mark despite its long run, but this parody video, in my opinion, says it best:

 

 

Finish watching? Those sentiments — “Do you have any idea how much insurance alone on that car costs?” “We’re gonna get evicted,” and “We don’t even have health insurance!” — are more along the lines of what I’d expect to hear if anyone I knew pulled this stunt on their significant other.

As a marketer, I “get” that the point behind this is to instill a sense of fancy and wonderment in viewers, even if they’re not part of Lexus’ target market. But the flip side of the coin is  how obscenely ridiculous the call-to-action is, especially when the economy was really in the tank and these commercials were still running. How out of touch can you be?

I’d take less issue with this campaign if they were targeting it to, say, Yachting. Hey, there’s a corner of the earth that actually does buy luxury cars as presents, so if you can find a way to target them, and not the 99.99% of us eating store-brand tortilla chips on our couch during Monday night football, more power to ya.

Good on Lexus, I suppose, for having a long-running campaign that makes December their most profitable month of the year. But this one just doesn’t strike a chord that’s in tune with the whole “holiday spirit” thing. In fact, maybe ZipCar could do a response campaign about the more realistic, economically-feasible way to give the gift of car travel this holiday season 😉

Starbucks’ ‘Rekindle’ Campaign

It took me a while to find this video, but find it I did, and most of what I wanted to say about why this campaign falls short, someone else — Eli Sussman, former advertising executive — already said. (Ah, the internet.) But he said it really well, so I encourage you to read it.

Here’s the video before I go into why this campaign is just … ridiculous.

 

 

Alright, here’s where I take issue with this commercial:

1) If Derrell wanted to see his mother, he could fly her out himself by cutting out the Starbucks. I did a little rogue math to figure this out. Assuming Derrell and his wife are only buying Starbucks’ cheapest menu item, the small cup of regular coffee, it’ll cost them about $3.30 each (tax not included) to buy coffee every day, rounding out to about $99 a month they’re spending on Starbucks. Alternately, they could brew their coffee at home, where a 12 ounce bag of approximately $7 coffee would yield them a cup of coffee costing around $0.58. So in one month, they could have coffee at home for about $34.80, saving them $64.20 a month. I don’t know how much the plane travel costs, but after 3-4 months of cutting out the Starbucks, I bet the travel plans could be arranged.

2) I’m going to assume Derrell saw this money-saving opportunity in front of him, but for some reason, didn’t take it. You know what? That’s your business, Derrell. It’s not for me, or anyone — that includes Starbucks baristas — to meddle in your personal life. How did this barista find his mom’s contact information? How did she know Derrell and his mother hadn’t had a huge falling out? What if Derrell was going out of town with his wife that weekend? There are too many variables here, which is why most people — who you’d consider acquaintances, at best — don’t typically fly your family members out on a whim to hang out with you.

I think Eli Sussman summed up the general tone of the commercial best: “A Starbucks commercial about family guilt with sappiness as thick as the foam on top of that vente half-caf pumpkin spice espressachino.”

The Walt Disney Co.’s and Barneys’ ‘Electric Holiday’ Campaign

The idea of combining Barneys’ high fashion world with the magic of Disney sounds like a marketing match made in heaven, especially for creatives and branding professionals. What came out of the campaign, however, had some people wondering if Disney had jumped on the “thinspiration” bandwagon. And frankly, I didn’t quite get the holiday tie-in, either. Here, take a look at how Barneys and Disney did their mashup:

 

Final Minnie

 

If you can’t recognize her, that’s Minnie Mouse. Lost some weight, eh? Here, take a look at Daisy:

 

final daisy

 

What exactly is the goal here? What I see is the Disney characters little girls (and boys!) adore being rendered stick thin for a campaign touting high fashion. Upon releasing these images, much of the campaign commentary centered around what came off as a promotion of eating disorders. To little kids. Who like Disney. Not. Good. As the Huffington Post’s article entitled “Disney Characters Get Scarily Slimmed Down for Barneys” put it, “So, what do Minnie Mouse, Goofy, and Daisy Duck look like with the Kate Moss treatment? First of all, creepily reed-thin, in the way only a cartoon character can. Could giving characters beloved by children the “thinspo” treatment be a bad idea?”

Despite outcry for the unhealthy imagery back in August, even getting to the point of consumers filing petitions against the images, they went forth with the campaign in November. I think the big name celebrities gracing their runway got more people’s attention than the disturbing images.

ASDA’s ‘Christmas Doesn’t Just Happen By Magic’ Campaign

The holidays is a stressful time for lots of people — it’s a time of year when many people are stretched for time and budgets, and emotions (and kids’ expectations) can run high. This is not a new concept, right? That’s why it’s strange ASDA hinged their 2012 campaign on it. Here, take a look at the frazzled mom making Christmas happen … all by her lonesome:

 

 

This commercial received a ton of backlash, with many viewers saying it was a sexist. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) stated that most people complained because “the ad is offensive because it is sexist to both men and women and reinforces stereotypes.”

I think this campaign missed the mark not because it’s offensive necessarily — I tend to agree with the sentiments expressed in the ASA’s quote, but plenty of others feel differently. It missed the mark because the image of the tired, stressed out mom, doing it all herself, is pretty played out. That character has been worn into the ground, and I think most people are looking for something way more creative, and far less simplistic than what the ASDA churned out here.

Bing’s ‘Scroogled’ Campaign

Most marketers pay more attention to optimizing for Google search than Bing. The same goes for paid search — the big bucks are going to where more consumers flock — Google. It’s safe to say that, for a myriad of reasons, Google’s winning the this whole search game.

So, what do you do if you’re Bing? Launch a holiday campaign that makes you look like a petty, poor sport. Here’s what Scroogled is all about:

 

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The thing is, they have a pretty good point. But you know what makes you look like a total schmuck? Calling out your competitors, and picking on them. Dude, if you’re better, show me. The proof is in the pudding. The cream rises to the top. You know, all that jazz. When your marketing centers around what your competitor is doing wrong, instead of what you’re doing right, you just look petty. Let’s keep the competitive warfare classy, people!

What 2012 holiday campaigns do you think missed the mark, or totally nailed it?









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Terugblik 2012: Facebook

Geen bedrijf stond zo sterk in de belangstelling dit jaar als Facebook. In mei had de beursgang van het sociale netwerk de megaklapper van 2012 moeten worden, die de sombere economische tijdingen voor eens en voor altijd over het dode punt heen zou trekken, maar het werd een World Online-achtige deceptie.

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10 Last-Minute Holiday Gift Ideas for the Marketer on Your List

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Tired of getting ugly sweaters and fruitcakes this time of year? No? Well, the people on your list (not your email list, your gift-giving one) might be. As marketers ourselves, we thought about what gifts we’d really like to unwrap. You know, aside from the traditional socks and underwear that we totally love. (Honest!)

Whether you’re in the lurch and need to get some last minute shopping done for the marketer in your life, or your wishlist is blank and you need some suggestions for Santa, we’ve gathered up a list of our favorite gadgets that the marketers we know absolutely adore. They might make your life easier, or just more enjoyable!

And if you get a bunch of gift certificates this year — hey, here’s 14 ways to spend ‘em.

Noise Canceling Headphones

Who hasn’t worked next to a noisy colleague? And with the growing popularity of the open-office concept, more people than ever are used to one noisy cubicle-mate turning into 100 noisy people distracting you from your job. That’s why we love these headphones — when you pop ‘em on you can’t hear anything except for the sound of the awesome tunes you’re jammin’ to.

 

bose headphomes

 

Source: (Bose Headphones)

Parrot MiniKit Neo

Our CEO Brian Halligan often says that his least favorite app on his iPhone is the phone app. If you’re anything like a lot of the marketers I know, the phone is a necessary evil. Digital marketers often prefer to work over email so we can triage projects and needs as they come up in order of importance; and the phone, when it rings, is a kind of a nuisance that breaks us out of our productivity mode. This hands-free phone, however, enables you to check your voicemail, and make and return your calls during your daily commute to and from work. Best of all? You can do it safely, using voice commands instead of your hands. Because even talking on the phone is better than sitting idly in traffic.

 

parrot minikit neo

 

Source: (Parrot Minikit)

iPad Mini

If there’s one thing designers and tech-savvy marketers are known for, it’s how much they hate Apple products.

Ha. Yah right.

This redesign of the traditional iPad gives those who asked for a smaller tablet from Apple exactly what they wished for! The 7.9 inch screen allows for all the functionality and ease of use of the larger tablet, while being easier to hold, lighter, and slimmer. It’s great for meetings and travel, and cellular versions make this iPad mini on the top of many Apple-junkies’ wishlists this season. We can’t wait to carry this around instead of our heavy laptops. 

 

ipad mini

 

Source: (Apple)

Mophie Juice Pack Air

You know that feeling of panic as you maniacally check your personal email, work email, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn every 2 minutes, all the while watching your mobile phone’s battery wear down more and more? Marketers need their mobile devices, and you can help them avoid that problem — especially while on the road — by giving them battery cases that extend the battery life of iPhones! This one, the Mophie Juice Pack Air, is super small so you can hardly tell there’s an extra case there, and it adds 36 hours of battery life to your phone.

 

mophie batery

 

Source: (Mophie)

Powermat

The Powermat uses magnetic induction to charge any device you want — that’s right, it’s not just your iPhone that’s having all the fun. All you have to do is add a receiver to your gadget. We love that we can get rid of the clutter of wires all over our desks, and charge things on our Powermat. This is also great for business travel, when we’re on our phones and tablets a lot and get stuck in places that don’t always have outlets.

 

powermat

 

Source: (Powermat)

IPod 5th Generation

We love listening to music while working, and iPods shouldn’t be forgotten about with all the new hype over the iPhone, especially this one. Apple launched a new iPod with a larger screen, faster internet browsing, and Siri voice commands. You can also pick from 6 different colors. These are great for our non-iPhone friends who still like to rock out while doing their marketing thang!

 

ipod 5

 

Source:(Apple)

Microsoft Surface

The Microsoft Surface is a tablet and computer, all rolled into one. You can attach a keyboard to use it for work, or kick back and watch a movie on your couch (not at lunch though, okay?). The Surface supports Windows RT, which is an operating system made to run on mobile devices, making your experience very user-friendly. These ultra-light devices are perfect for marketers, because it gives us the flexibility and versatility we need in one device. We also love that you can pick from a variety of bright colors, for every personality.

 

microsoft surface

 

Source: (Microsoft)

Photoshop

Visual content is all the rage — what else is going to get you all those coveted Facebook likes and comments? If you don’t have the resources to hire a graphic designer, become one yourself with Photoshop. Photoshop lets you design professional looking images for all your marketing campaigns, and it’s a great gift for anyone trying to advance their career and develop a new skill set.

 

photoshop

 

Source:(Photoshop)

USB Cufflinks

This fashionable accessory is practical, too! When you need to save a document fast, use these USB cufflinks that can hold 2GB of memory. We think these are great for the fashionable tech guy on your holiday shopping list. Hey, you can never be too prepared.

 

USB cufflinks

 

Source:(Cufflinks)

InDesign

Content is an important way to draw in potential leads and customers. InDesign allows marketers to be designers and create beautiful content! We love this because we can easily make professional looking content without having to outsource it to a designer for a premium.

 

indesign

 

Source: (InDesign)

Do you see something you love that will make your life easier? If we missed your new favorite toy, let us know!

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