In the eye of the storm
A bad day in the media, marketing and entertainment industry can have far-reaching and disastrous consequences for a company, brand or personal reputation, as Marcus Casey discovered when he asked executives from across the industry how they survived the worst day of their professional lives.
It was the V word which caused a major stir on talkback radio last year and gave women’s healthcare brand Carefree a huge all-publicity-is-good-publicity push. But it was extremely touchy for owner Johnson and Johnson.
The point of contention was a 30-second spot created by agency Lowe303 which featured a discreetly naked young woman talking about secret women’s business – specifically vaginal discharge – to promote its Acti-Fresh liners.
While it was an admirably refreshing and open campaign, there was a backlash which caused headaches for the company.
Great article, but still disgusted at 2GB & Jones.
I’ve use my 2.0 can of Vegemite in presentations around the world on how to not engage via social media.
I’ve helped organisations avoid error like this an it does make me cringe when I see beginner mistakes, which seem to particularly occur in Australia’s commercial sector.
Girl with a coat anyone?
In the office the other day we were talking Vegemite, and someone asked “have you tried that iSnack 2.0 stuff or whatever they ended up calling it? I quite like it”
No matter what you think, the name stuck and the product is far better known than if they’d launched it under the current name. Whatever that is. Can anyone tell me? Cheesymite I assume.
This is without a doubt the most interesting article I have read on Mumbrella for very long while. Candid and informative. Thank you to the brave contributors. By the way, I worked at Singos 2000-2005 and there were a couple of cataclysms while I was there if anyone is interested in hearing them?
Comms 101 – Think first, listen and be brave. Good examples and not beatups.
I agree, Grey Ghost. This is useful and we need more articles like this, less of the “Bob Jones has joined X Agency” stuff, and more Australian case studies.