All three of these brands tried to use humor to push forward their message and instead received a backlash of negativity. Let’s look into what started the hubbub:
The Ladders – This job search board took their message to the public in commercials that showed half-clothed men and women slithering over desks and posing model-like in front of fans. The tag, “Be irresistible” furthers the antics and plays fun at the sexualized content.
Personally I think these ads are hilarious, but they have created uproar in the HR world. Most notably by women executives who think the idea of a job candidate spread- eagle on a desk in no way helps women establish job equality. I have to agree, but think the original commercials catch the eye and hey, everyone now knows TheLadders. Take a look and see what you think.
Kenneth Cole – Kenneth Cole made a huge error in judgment earlier this week when he tweeted “Millions are in an uproar is Cairo. Rumor is they heard our new spring collection is now available online.” The feedback was swift and brutal. Hundreds tweeted their new sprung hatred of Kenneth Cole. Later Cole deleted the tweet and issued a public apology via Facebook; but the damage was done. Want proof? The first comment to Cole’s public Facebook apology is, “You are an asshole.”
And finally, in the most recent gaffe of the week…
GroupOn spent millions on Super Bowl ads that were meant to poke fun at their own business model, but instead fueled outrage, particularly over the Timothy Hutton ad on Tibet. GroupOn posted their true intentions on their blog this morning, but furious viewers were all over Twitter today vilifying the company for their non-sensitive approach.
Regardless of what side you come down on, the three PR blunders above, point to an important issue. Are sites like Twitter, Facebook, blogs etc. enabling executives, employees and just about anyone to say what’s on their mind regardless of whether the company shares their thoughts? Is it worth trying for humor; even at the expense of a PR crisis should the public not “get it”? Should we all just button up and be conservative? What do you think?
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