Influencers can be great for raising awareness of a brand, but there is always a chance that things could go wrong. Here are five of the worst influencer campaigns.
Solving racism with Pepsi
Sometimes a well-intentioned message can be insensitive. Pepsi’s ad featured Kendall Jenner crossing the picket line to hand a can of Pepsi to a police officer in riot gear, quashing the protest in the process. At a time when the wider public was becoming increasingly aware of the issue of police brutality, this ad didn’t feel right. People on social media noted that some of the imagery from the ad was very similar to images used by activists at the time.
The best example of white and economic privilege/ ignorance I've ever seen. Never forget Ieshia Evans. #Pepsi pic.twitter.com/lXeTp7OBMj
— maya (@mayaelysee) April 4, 2017
Dumpster Fyre Festival
This “festival” has already had two documentaries made about it. Advertised as a glamorous event for the 1%, tickets ranged from $1,200 to a jaw-dropping $100,000. After the funding dried up, the event descended into chaos. Booked artists bailed out, catering was a mess, and the high rolling patrons were forced to stay in conditions akin to a refugee camp. The ramifications for the Bahamian locals were awful too, with most not being paid for the work they did on the event.
This is how Fyre Fest handles luggage. Just drop it out of a shipping container. At night. With no lights. #fyrefestival pic.twitter.com/X5CdZRyJWo
— William N. Finley IV(It’s real. I made it up) (@WNFIV) April 28, 2017
The failed festival was promoted by influencers such as Bella Hadid, Emily Ratakowjski, Kendall Jenner, and many more. In addition to promoting a festival that ended up flopping, most of them didn’t even disclose that they had been paid to promote it.
TanaCon
YouTuber Tana Mongeau wanted to create an event to rival VidCon after she had a bad experience there. YouTube’s refusal to give her a “featured creator” badge for the popular convention sparked her anger.
Unfortunately, two months is not enough time to organise a convention. Tickets were oversold, and many fans were waiting in line for hours. There was no shelter from the Californian heat for those queuing either; some fans even reported getting sunburnt as they waited.
Many popular YouTubers and influencers were scheduled to appear. Unfortunately for the waiting fans, many of them dropped out before the event. The convention was shut down on the first day before being cancelled on the second.
Scott Disick’s Bootea blunder
Paid promotions are how influencers make a living. Companies will approach them with instructions on what to say and do, offering money in exchange. Naturally, it’s not a great idea to tell your followers exactly how this works.
Clearly not paying attention to what he was doing, Disick included the instructions sent to him in his caption. Ignoring the ethics of promoting weight loss products to young people, this botched promotion gave everyone a glimpse into the world of influencer marketing.
Staged competitions
Tower Jewellers contacted Irish beauty influencer Terrie McEvoy to host a competition giving away two of their luxury bracelets. However, everything wasn’t quite as it seemed.
Upon announcing the winners, some observant fans noticed something wasn’t right. The winners were people who had been tagged in Terrie’s personal posts in the past. It eventually came to light that they were the influencer’s best friend and brother’s partner. Not a good look at all!
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