Marketing Lessons Learned from the Best (and the Worst)

Here at the DofM, we’ve seen about a million marketing initiatives over the years (give or take), including our fair share of wins and a few faux pas. In our words, a marketing win is captivating, clever, and usually visually appealing. We’ve been won over by humor, emotion, awesome graphic design, and more! However, as much as the marketing wins inspire us, the marketing fails we’ve come across can be a great example of what not to do. Here are some of our favorite marketing wins and fails.

KitKat Capitalizes on Current Events for the Win

To begin on a positive note, we’ll start with one of our favorite recent marketing wins. This Nestle advertisement for the beloved KitKat chocolate bar takes a crack at work-from-home humor and perfectly delivers its message. The message also incorporates their long-time slogan, “Have a break, Have a Kit-Kat.” Well done Nestle!

Note to Self: Proofread, Proofread, Proofread

After that remarkable marketing win, we’re ready to discuss our first marketing fail. The infamous Scott Disick takes the fall for this one. Many influencers create branded posts on social media platforms such as Instagram, and this post was no different. Except Disick forgot one crucial step: removing the company’s directions before uploading them as a caption to his Instagram post. This fail serves as a great lesson to always triple-check your posts before they go live, including the caption. Or you might end up on this list!

Three Cheers for Subtle Creativity

Another recent marketing win goes to Chupa Chups, a Spanish lollipop brand. This advertisement earns a gold star for its simplicity and clever message. You know there are no gimmicks with the company’s sugar-free candy when even the ants avoid it. This advertisement is an example that sometimes, less is more. 

Do What Now?

This sign for a health and fitness club might look just fine at first, but the wording is a bit misleading. This could have been a typo or just plain bad grammar, but either way, it isn’t working. Passersby are probably confused (we were) and don’t have access to the information they need to take action. Every marketing message should include a clear, concise call to action. Oh, and always triple-check spelling and grammar, especially before printing something on a huge banner.

If you can’t get enough of our marketing fails and wins, follow us wherever you do your scrolling. We post weekly wins and fails you won’t want to miss. Want to land a spot on the #marketingwins list? Contact the DofM team for a strategic nudge in the right direction.