Have you ever seen a headline or ad so bad that it makes you wonder...
Uhh.
How did no one spot THAT?
Here are 8 cringeworthy copy fails that will have you think twice before pushing publish!
So, as a copywriter, I am sure you’ve made your fair share of typos, grammar mistakes
and misplaced punctuation when you’re burning the midnight oil during a launch or rushing
to meet a campaign deadline.
If you’re lucky, your worst case scenario is just a run-on sentence or a missing word
here and there.
If you’re not so lucky, it’s a media backlash that ends up as a meme on the TIFU sub-reddit..
Gone are the days when the protocols to publish something involved meticulous rounds of approval
and proofreading before it went to the printers.
Today, anything from anyone can go live to millions of viewers with just the click of
a button.
Which is why as creators, we have to take the extra measure to review and proof our
work before hitting publish, post, send, or share!
Because once you do, it’s out there – forever.
* Just going to take a screenshot of that...*
So this week, I’m sharing 8 examples of epic copywriting fails that you definitely
want to avoid.
Because let’s face it, sometimes the best way to grow is to learn what not to do.
But if you also want to learn what to do to write compelling, persuasive copy you’re
in the right place.
Hit subscribe below.
Because I release a new copywriting tutorial every single week.
Now, here are 8 times copywriting went oh-so-very-wrong.
Let these mistakes be a cautionary tale to remind you that as copywriter and marketer,
you need to check yourself before you wreck yourself.
When a joke goes wrong...
Our first fail is brought to you by our friends at AirBnb.
I’m talking about this tone-deaf ad that was plastered all over San Francisco.
It reads: Dear Public Library System, We hope you use some of the $12 million in hotel taxes
to keep the library open later.
Okay so firstly, this ad references something so obscure that the majority of people are
likely to read it and think, what are you talking about?
After I did some research I discovered that when AirBnb was asked to fork out millions
in hotel taxes, they put up this ad to suggest how the government should be spending that
money.
But they made the huge mistake of throwing shade at the San Francisco public library
system…
Which really had nothing to do with the hotel taxes in the first place, so that’s weird.
But they also neglected the fact that San Francisco’s public libraries were already
struggling to pay their staff and get financial support.
So, as much as we all love a bit of tongue-in-cheek sarcasm, if your copy trivialises a serious
struggle in misdirected rage, it’s no longer a marketing faux pas — it’s just in bad
taste.
After a heated backlash and a public apology, even AirBnb CEO Brian Chesky himself admitted
that “it made us look like jerks.”
When you alienate your audience
If you’re going to run a campaign, make sure you don’t accidentally offend, or worse
— marginalise a group from your audience just to prove a point.
For instance, when Minnesota health plan provider, Blue Cross Blue Shield, decided to encourage
people to exercise more by ditching the elevator and taking the stairs, they completely forgot
about the people who rely on elevators to get around.
Their cringeworthy ad read, “Today is the day we take the stairs.
Let’s start making healthier decisions today.”
I’m sure this guy is thinking, yeah, great.
Thanks ***hole.
A large number of people who use elevators, use them not because they can but because
they have to.
So, what’s the lesson here?
Let’s start making better copy decisions today!
Always know who you’re talking to so you don’t alienate any part of your audience!
When you try to be too clever
Studies have shown that the average adult reads at a 7-8th grade level, which is why
most mainstream novels are written for the average Junior High Student.
Well the same goes for your copy.
It needs to be simple to be effective, no matter your niche!
But clearly this online publication didn’t get the memo...
The pop-up call-to-action on their website reads: “It’s never too late to start over.
If you weren’t happy with yesterday, try something better today.
Don’t stay stuck.
Do better.”
LOL.
WHAT?
In a painful attempt to sound clever this call-to-action created nothing but confusion.
Do I agree, do I disagree?
Why does it even matter?
What does it mean!?
When you’ve been living under a rock
Here’s another display of tongue-in-cheek copy gone terribly, terribly wrong….
This Christmas catalogue ad by Bloomingdale’s features a man looking intently at an oblivious
woman, who apparently is his best friend, with the caption “Spike your best friend’s
eggnog when they’re not looking.”
Well, that went downhill from cheek to creep fast!
How did nobody on the ad team catch THAT before it went to print?
Not like a joke like this is ever cool, but especially in today’s #MeToo era, Bloomingdale’s
how did you think that was ok?
Have you been living under a rock or are you just completely insensitive?
I’d chance a bet you didn’t have a single woman on your ad team, when you created that
ad, because if you did, it would have been thrown in the trash and it would never have
seen the light of day.
When you’re just a bit too controversial
They say that any publicity is good publicity.
Well…
That might not always be true.
Now don’t get me wrong — I like a good, rebellious ad that disrupts the norm.
But the line between “Wow!” and “Whoa..” is sometimes very fine.
Berlin-based Funeral Home, Bergemann Sohn decided to promote their service by placing
a large ad on the wall of the underground station, on the other side of the tracks,
with the words — “Come A Little Closer”.
Ehh… yeah, you might have my attention.
But do you have my business?
I am not so sure.
This ad trivializes death and belittles suicide, which is no laughing matter.
While I can see the humor in it, this ad makes me feel a little bit uneasy.
What do you guys think?
Funny or faux pax?
Comment below and let me know.
When you make a reference that no one gets.
If you’re a copywriter or marketer who spends a lot of time indulging in pop culture content
in your spare time…It can be hard to resist slipping in a little timely inside joke into
your copy.
However — references without context will likely backfire and make your reader go “Huh?”.
Like this pop-up call-to-action from Mashable.
It reads” You can pronounce “gif” however you’d like.
Get the best of digital culture with the Click Click Click newsletter.
First, they randomly use the whole “gif” pronunciation debate as their main headline,
then they promote their obscurely-named Click Click Click newsletter, neither with much
context.
So I’m seriously confused and wonder what “gif” or “gif” has to do with anything?
But now I’m actually curious to know - how do you pronounce it?
When you “me, me, me” all over the place
Now, I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again — your prospects will always ask
the question “What’s in it for me?”.
YOU is one of the most powerful words used in copywriting.
So it’s easy to see where Rareloop went wrong.
Their homepage copy reads “We’re Digital Artisans.
An expert team passionate about crafting bespoke websites and apps.”
Their prospects are likely yawning and leaving the page way before they even get to the CTA
button that says “Get to Know Us” LAME.
So whether you’re selling a product or a service, your sales copy should focus on what
you can do for your customer.
Not try to sell how great you are.
When a pun goes wrong.
So, so wrong.
Okay I’ll be the first to admit, I love a good pun and humor is a great way to drive
engagement…
But not at the expense of your brand identity or ad message.
Like McDonalds implying their backdoor is open for business at 6am.
Or RayBans reminder of where to wear their sunglasses…
Or Sheets Energy Strips sharing one way to use their product….
While funny yes, these pundamental copy flaws could have had some detrimental consequences
on the brand after the fact.
So, as copywriters, keep your dirty jokes and puns to yourself!
Jeez guys.
Ok there you have it.
8 copywriting mistakes you should absolutely never repeat.
Thanks so much for watching guys give me a thumbs up below if you liked this video.
And next if you want to see some killer examples of 10 brands that are getting their slogans
and headlines right you can check it out right here.
And be sure to subscribe to catch my video next week.
Until then, I’m Alex. Ciao for now!