Marketing fails!

[Mr Silver]

In other Marketing Fails, anyone know about the Sony 2006 E3 chaos?

Basically they were promoting "Genji 2" and the games producer explained that the game would contain "Famous Battles From Ancient Japan". Immediately following this, they showed a demo where the player characters were battling a Giant Crab... Not only that but numerous quotes showed up on screen, things like "Attack its weak point for massive damage" and "Real Time Weapon Change", which is a pretty terrible sales pitch when you consider games have included such features for years

 

[Misfit Toy]

The "Nook" e-reader from Barnes and Noble.

Then again, maybe calling it the Nookie Reader is a marketing PLUS!

 

[B.J.]

This was a picture I took several months ago. The billboard is long gone now, but I had to stop and laugh when I saw it:

I don't think it would be in *any* airline's best interest (let alone Airtran's) to compare their flights to a roller coaster! I get that they were trying to advertise flights to Orlando, but still....

 

[Mr Awe]

It's more the laziness of the Airborne marketing department. Let me try and illustrate the similarity here with another one of their boxes:

Yeah, I think it's just that yellow and black is the most eye catching color combination. That's why school buses are yellow and black. And, shoot, maybe that's the tie-in with a school teacher? I agree, having a school teacher design this doesn't instill me with confidence!

Mr Awe

 

[Alidar Jarok]

I understand the appeal. Children are like the rats that carried the Plague. The very fact that you are near children day in and day out makes it almost certain that you will get sick with something. If a teacher invented an immune system booster so he or she doesn't get sick from their kids, it would make sense to use that in other situations.

Of course, it's all BS. The "Not intended to cure or prevent any disease" part hurts its argument far more.

 

[tharpdevenport]

 

[Switch]

I was on Sony's side in this little furor, but they really should've seen it coming.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

I was on Sony's side in this little furor, but they really should've seen it coming.

Wow, that's in really poor taste.

 

[Holdfast]

I was on Sony's side in this little furor, but they really should've seen it coming.

Entirely deliberate on their part though, so hardly a fail, no?

 

[M'Sharak]

I understand the appeal. Children are like the rats that carried the Plague. The very fact that you are near children day in and day out makes it almost certain that you will get sick with something. If a teacher invented an immune system booster so he or she doesn't get sick from their kids, it would make sense to use that in other situations.

That would have been my first guess: someone got fed up with being sick all the time and found a combination of off-the-shelf items which they believed helped lower the chances of their picking up every bug their pupils brought into the classroom. Besides, it's a supplement or mixture of supplements - most doctors aren't going to bother with that.

Of course, it's all BS. The "Not intended to cure or prevent any disease" part hurts its argument far more.

They're legally prohibited from making anything which might be read as a guarantee, I think, because no one is interested in funding clinical tests to prove the efficacy of an over-the-counter supplement, thus no claims can be hung upon tests never conducted. There's nowhere near the profit potential found in prescription pharmaceuticals, so nowhere near the investment is made.

 

[scotpens]

In other Marketing Fails, anyone know about the Sony 2006 E3 chaos?

Basically they were promoting "Genji 2" and the games producer explained that the game would contain "Famous Battles From Ancient Japan". Immediately following this, they showed a demo where the player characters were battling a Giant Crab...

Well, that's just silly. Everyone knows Japanese giant crabs are the result of atomic radiation, so there's no way they could have existed in ancient times.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Of course, it's all BS. The "Not intended to cure or prevent any disease" part hurts its argument far more.

They're legally prohibited from making anything which might be read as a guarantee, I think, because no one is interested in funding clinical tests to prove the efficacy of an over-the-counter supplement, thus no claims can be hung upon tests never conducted. There's nowhere near the profit potential found in prescription pharmaceuticals, so nowhere near the investment is made.

Quite possible. Although I don't think a shit ton of Vitamin C actually does much. Most suggest it just results in you pissing it out. I do buy it anyway. I figure any chance of even a placebo effect could be worth it some times.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I was on Sony's side in this little furor, but they really should've seen it coming.

That looks like 3/4 Lady Gaga and 1/4 that nightclub guy from Tron Legacy.

 

[PsychoPere]

CREATED BY A SCHOOL TEACHER!

Trust me, pharmacists who receive questions about whether they would recommend it laugh too.

(Though, naturally, after the patient has purchased it and left, ignoring the "no" answer.)

 

[Colonel Midnight]

(As a side gripe, shouldn't it be "Marketing Failures"? Nothing against you, Sojourner, I'm just beginning to despise the use of "fail" as a noun. Don't take offense, s'il vous plait!)

Back on track -- I do believe I saw a runner-up to the Ugly Aztek Car Award the other day... the Acura ZDX. Cripes, that's one fugly vehicle!!

Cheers,
-CM-

 

[sojourner]

No offense taken.

You think the ZDX is ugly? wait till you see a Honda crosstour!

 

[BolianAuthor]

NO vehicle can possibly be butt-fuglier than this...

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

THIS is the worst marketing fail.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Is3icfcbmbs

Made worse by the fact that the company deliberately waited for a war to break out in Israel and then bought up a TON of air time on cable news stations when they knew people would be glued to the TV.

 

[Venardhi]

Coca-Cola Blak was delicious, especially with a shot of whiskey.

 

[FordSVT]

No offense taken.

You think the ZDX is ugly? wait till you see a Honda crosstour!

The only current Honda/Acura models that aren't butt-ugly are the Civic (which is getting old and I still don't actually like) and the Acura TSX. Scratch the second one, the new model has the same horrible nose as all the other new Acuras.

Even the perennially conservative Accord got beat with the ugly stick last time around. Probably part of the reason sales of the model have dropped 20% in the last two years, 17% in 09-10 alone.