Wendy's, Doritos and Tide (Grade: C-)
Brands seizing blackouts as their moment to shine is so 2013, but Wendy's, Doritos and Tide didn't seem to have realized that. They were among the thirsty brands that tried to recreate Oreo's real-time "dunk in the dark" moment by tweeting during a short blackout in the second quarter of Super Bowl 2018. Zero points for originality.
Bud Light's "Bud Knight" (Grade: C-)
Once your branding campaign hits cultural meme status, it's time to quit. But Bud Light didn't know when to stop with "Dilly Dilly," which went from endearing cultural phenomenon to an annoyance. Also, nothing screams desperate like hijacking "Game of Thrones" with an icy "Bud Knight" taking on a fiery dragon.
Kleenex's "Mansize" Tissues (Grade: D)
Kleenex has had its extra-large "Mansize" tissues around since the 1950s. But in 2018, the term sounded too gendered to some. Kleenex scrapped its range of "Mansize" tissues this year, following social media complaints that the branding was sexist.
Heineken's "Lighter is Better" (Grade: F)
Heineken's ads with the tagline "Lighter Is Better" were supposed to tout its light beer. But the ads came across as racist to social media users including Chance the Rapper, and were eventually pulled.
I think some companies are purposely putting out noticably racist ads so they can get more views. And that shit racist/bogus so I guess I shouldn’t help by posting about it. But 😂 I gotta just say tho. The “sometimes lighter is better” Hienekin commercial is terribly racist omg
— Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) March 26, 2018Dolce & Gabbana 's "#DGlovesChina" (Grade: F)
The luxury brand prompted an online furor in November with a marketing campaign aimed at China that was full of ethnic stereotypes. One ad showed a Chinese model attempting — and failing — to eat various Italian dishes with chopsticks. Things got worse when the Instagram account Diet Prada exposed Dolce founder Stefano Gabbana appearing to engage in more racist rants. Soon, the hashtag #BoycottDolce was trending on Chinese social media site Weibo and Gabbana and his co-founder Domanico Dolce apologized and had to cancel their Shanghai runway show, costing them millions.
Dodge Ram's "Built to Serve" (Grade: F-)
Dodge Ram's Super Bowl ad featuring part of a speech by Martin Luther King Jr. sparked widespread criticism online almost as soon as it aired. The ad, which showed workers and shots of Ram trucks set against a 1968 speech by King, was slammed for its use of an iconic civil-rights speech and Black History Month to sell cars.
H&M's "Coolest monkey in the jungle" (Grade: F-)
H&M landed in hot water at the start of the year, when it featured an ad with a black child wearing a hoodie bearing the slogan "coolest monkey in the jungle." The image went viral, and was slammed on social media, including by The Weeknd, who announced on Twitter that he would no longer be affiliated with the brand. H&M later apologized.
woke up this morning shocked and embarrassed by this photo. i’m deeply offended and will not be working with @hm anymore... pic.twitter.com/P3023iYzAb
— The Weeknd (@theweeknd) January 8, 2018
