When campaigns go bump in the night: Our tales of marketing misadventures

Gather round, folks, as we delve into some more spine-chilling marketing horror stories. These tales come courtesy of our own team during their marketing journeys at previous roles and agencies. These experiences, burned into our psyche from repeatedly living those moments over and over, have been invaluable. They say that every experience teaches you a lesson, and it's these very lessons that have honed our skills and made us the excellent marketers we are today. So, while these stories may send a shiver down your spine, they also serve as valuable reminders of the resilience and creativity that define our industry.

The GDPR panic 

Imagine this: it's 2016, and the GDPR deadline is looming. One agency's large client repeatedly dismissed warnings to update their consent process, vehemently arguing that nothing needed changing. I’m sure you can see where this is going…

With just two weeks before the deadline, the client suddenly agreed that, in actual fact, everything did need changing. The resulting about-face led to the team scrambling to do three months' worth of work in just two weeks to ensure the client didn’t fall foul of the new laws. The key takeaway here? Always prepare early and heed expert advice to avoid last-minute chaos.

The Boost bar blunder

Are you ready to Boost your marketing? Unfortunately all we boosted here was our blood sugar…

An event marketing team came up with a cheesy slogan and sent out beautifully packaged boost bars with event tickets to targeted decision-makers. However, due to incorrect data formatting, the boxes were returned, leaving the team with 60 boost bars and a failed campaign. The lesson? Double-check your data to ensure your marketing efforts reach the right audience.

The budget blowout 

In a rookie mistake, a team forgot to set the daily budget caps on LinkedIn ads, blowing the entire two-month budget over a weekend. Hundreds of clicks resulted in minimal conversions, and the campaign was effectively dead on arrival. The agency thankfully reimbursed the costs, and nobody lost their job, but it was certainly an expensive way to learn an important lesson: Triple-check your budget settings to avoid costly errors.

The client who wouldn't listen 

There was a tech industry client who was eager to have their product reviewed by a prominent publication. However, the client was adamant that the review be positive, which we cautioned was not something we could guarantee. Despite our advice, the client insisted on pushing for a favourable review. This approach backfired spectacularly when the journalist, feeling pressured, refused to review the product altogether. The situation escalated to the point where the publication considered blacklisting both the client and our agency. It took considerable effort and apologies to mend the relationship, but the episode served as a stark reminder of the importance of respecting a journalist's independence and managing client expectations realistically.

The overpriced makeup box

In this story, an agency was tasked with marketing a rather pricey makeup box that featured built-in lights as its unique selling point. Unfortunately, the promotional images provided by the client depicted the box filled with makeup, leading potential customers to believe that the makeup was included in the purchase. This misunderstanding, coupled with the high price tag, resulted in a lack of interest from buyers.

Despite the agency's best efforts to advise the client on adjusting the marketing strategy and addressing the misleading imagery, the client remained convinced of their product's untouchable value. This frostiness and reluctance to heed professional advice led to a strained relationship, ultimately resulting in the agency parting ways with the client.

The key lesson here is that the client isn't always right, and sometimes it's necessary to push back to maintain your agency's integrity and success.

When budget slammed into reality

In one of our previous roles, we worked with a client in Malaysia who had a budget of 50,000 Malaysian ringgit. They were eager to have a very famous influencer, essentially the "Beyoncé of Malaysia," as part of their campaign. We had to explain that their budget simply wouldn't cover the cost of such a high-profile influencer. Unfortunately, the client didn't take this news well and escalated the issue to our team lead. The situation became tense enough that even the country manager had to get involved to smooth things over. This experience was particularly nerve-wracking because it affected not just the campaign but also involved multiple layers of the organisation.

The key takeaway here is the importance of aligning client expectations with realistic budget constraints and having clear communication from the start to avoid such escalations.

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Each of these horror stories serves as a reminder of the unpredictable nature of marketing. By learning from these experiences, you can avoid similar pitfalls and ensure your campaigns are more treat than trick.