1. Kendall Jenner & Pepsi - 2017

In 2017, Pepsi released a commercial with Kendall Jenner to promote their product. However, it failed in a way that no one at Pepsi expected..
The video Ad showed Kendall spotting a protest in the middle of a photoshoot and going over, handing a police officer a can of Pepsi, seemingly stopping the protest.

Bad call.

2. Reebok - Cheat on your girlfriend not on your workout - 2012

Reebok showed poor taste in this advertising campaign in Germany.
A poster advertising Reebok at a gym affiliated with the brand in Germany, was intended to motivate its customers, with the slogan: 'Cheat on your girlfriend, not on your workout.' However, it was met with consumer backlash, this made the sportswear firm pull the ad and saw them acknowledge that it was 'offensive'.
Reebok released a statement saying, “We regret that some offensive Reebok materials were recently printed. The signs were removed as soon as we were made aware of them. I can assure you that Reebok does not condone this message or cheating in any way. We apologize for the offensive nature of these materials, and are disappointed that they appeared at all."

3. Sony - PSP White Is Coming - 2006

This Sony advert left consumers wondering if there was a racial bias underto
In an advert for their new white PSP, Sony released a poster showing a white woman grasping the face of a black model, with the words, "PlayStation Portable White is coming". The ad split the comments section, with half of their consumers condemning Sony and the other half saying it was a harmless advert for a white PSP.
A Sony spokesperson came out with a statement justifying the ad saying, "All of the 100 or so images created for the campaign have been designed to show [the] contrast in colours of the PSPs, and have no other message or purpose."

4. Gillette - “The best men can be” campaign - 2019

The razor brand released a new campaign, replacing their original tagline, "The best a man can get", with "The best men can be”.
The new campaign advert was watched 2 million times on YouTube in the first 48 hours and sparked major debate.
Whilst some praised the company for their new forward thinking, others have referred to the company as now being “dead”.
In the ad it shows images of bullying, sexual harassment, sexist behaviour and aggressive male behaviour. It then displays these acts being stopped and prevented, for example, a friend stopping his other friend harassing a woman in the street. Many of the comments on the video are negative, with viewers and consumers saying they will never buy Gillette products again and that the company had fallen into "feminist propaganda".
Some have called for Gillette to make a formal apology, however, the brand is sticking to their beliefs. Gillette's President, Gary Coombe, said, “By holding each other accountable, eliminating excuses for bad behaviour, and supporting a new generation working toward their personal 'best,' we can help create positive change that will matter for years to come.”

5. Innocent - Conker Milk - 2019

The drinks brand known for its playful marketing, decided to support its new range of nut milks with the announcement of a new seasonal addition, “Conker Milk” via its social media channels. However, the brand had to quickly release a thread of tweets to clarify that you should not eat or drink conkers.
“We didn’t think anyone would believe Conker Milk was real,” said the brand. “We reckon the best thing we can do is hold our hands up, admit we messed up, and say DO NOT EAT CONKERS. Over and over again. In big capital letters.”
They also released a video on their social media called, “A public service announcement about not eating conkers.”
A lot of social media users and consumers were still left confused, meaning Innocent replied to a lot of tweets telling people to not eat conkers.
The moral of this bad marketing campaign: don’t eat conkers.