5 times brands made headlines for unfortunate reasons in 2021

Everyone makes mistakes and in the marketing world, a faux pas while frowned upon might not be new. Over the year, several brands have come under the spotlight for the wrong reasons, from unfortunate ad placements and allegations of disrespecting culture, to CEOs making rude remarks. As we wind up the year, here is a look at the top five instances when brands raised eyebrows and made headlines for the wrong reasons in 2021.

1. Axe Brand's unfortunate ad placement on The Straits Times

Axe Brand Universal Oil was caught in a difficult situation in July when its ad appeared on the front page of The Straits Times right below an article regarding a murder at a school in Singapore. Both the article and the ad were on the front page of ST's print and digital editions dated 20 July. The ad read: "A handy medicine for quick relief of cold and headache. To get you prepared for your next step." 

The brand later explained in a Facebook post that the ad placement was unintentional and rather "a very unfortunate coincidence". It added that the ad was arranged and booked last December with The Straits Times. "Our company is in deep sympathy and grief with the victim’s family," the brand said in a Facebook post.

(Read also: ST explains 'unfortunate juxtaposition' of Axe Brand ad, says media buy booked in advance)

2. AirAsia apologises after Thai CEO's rude remarks

AirAsia apologised after a video circulating online showed Thailand CEO Tassapon Bijleveld insulting a female employee. He interrupted the employee during a virtual meeting and said "What's your f*cking question, come on." When the female employee explained herself, Bijleveld interjected again and said "What's your question, come on. Don't talk a lot, too much to talk." The video also showed him telling the female employee to "shut up" when she began speaking in Thai. 

The airline later told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE that it has a zero-tolerance policy towards inappropriate behaviour of any kind which is never compromised. It added that the incident has been dealt with "immediately in the appropriate manner" and apologised to anyone affected. AirAsia also said it will ensure this does not happen again.

(Read also: A PR pro, an HR leader and a counsellor discuss AirAsia's F-bomb leadership saga)

3. Singaporean F&B brands face boycott in Myanmar

Earlier this year, Singaporean F&B brands including Tiger Beer, BreadTalk, Ya Kun Kaya Toast, Beauty In The Pot, Ippudo, and Crystal Jade Kitchen faced boycott calls for not taking a stand regarding the military coup in Myanmar. Graphics urging consumers to boycott Singaporean brands circulated online, especially on Facebook and Twitter.

According to the graphics, Singapore is the largest investor in Myanmar and it claimed that the country “is not respecting the voices of the Burmese" and "is supporting the dictatorship". Accompanying these statements were the image of the Singapore flag and logos of Tiger Beer, BreadTalk, Ya Kun Kaya Toast, Beauty In The Pot, Crystal Jade Kitchen, and Ippudo being crossed out. The hashtags #BoycottSingapore and #WhatsHappeningInMyanmar were also included on the graphics.

This came shortly after Aung San Suu Kyi, former president Win Myint and other senior individuals from the NLD were detained in an early morning raid by the military on 1 February. Multiple media outlets reported that this was in response to alleged election fraud in the November 2020 election which saw NLD win by a landslide.

4. BMW Singapore's caught in unfortunate ad placement during Chinese New Year weekend

BMW Singapore was caught in the middle of a difficult situation after one of its ads emerged on local content site Mothership, alongside an article detailing a horrific car crash along Tanjong Pagar which claimed the lives of five individuals over the Chinese New Year weekend earlier this year. The ad was located midway through the article and had a video promoting the purchase of BMW vehicles through a behind-the-scenes point of view. It also showed mechanics checking the quality of the vehicles, taking stocks, and fixing the cars. At the time of publication previously, the ad was since removed.

BMW told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE then that it was investigating the manner, and the publication Mothership was not part of the initial media plan. Hence, it was uncertain how the ad emerged on the platform. At the same time, it also halted all media plans immediately after news of the accident emerged. The spokesperson also reiterated that BMW takes brand safety very seriously and has measures in place to ensure its ads do not appear alongside negative keywords or content.

5. foodpanda Malaysia explains teaser mistaken by netizens to be Deepavali ad

Foodpanda Malaysia had to explain that its Bollywood-inspired YouTube clip circulating online in October was not a Deepavali ad but part of a bigger campaign that was set to launch. This came after it was criticised by netizens for creating a Bollywood-inspired ad ahead of Deepavali without featuring Indian talents and for appropriating Indian culture. The brand clarified that the video in question was part of its #TakkanTakTahu campaign that shows customers pro-tips on how to unlock deals and was one of the teasers to a much larger story for the Delivery Ke Hati Seri minisodes.

"We understand that there might have been a misunderstanding with the video in question being singled out. However, this specific video is part of a bigger campaign and not a Deepavali ad," its head of marketing told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE previously. The campaign contained musical inspirations including the Barbershop Quartet on foodpanda's loyalty programme, K-Pop rapping about stacking discounts with promo code, and Bollywood on group ordering, among others.

(Read also: foodpanda MY 'Pollywood' ad: Is there a road to recovery?)

Photo courtesy: 123RF