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In this video ad we can see that Gymshark uses famous body builders when they first launched their brand they used influencers to help market their brand so these influencers were known as prosumers, they consumed the product and as well marketed the brand on their own social platforms. This method of marketing using influencers still works today and it is super powerful however when the founder of Gymshark used big bulky unrealistic body builders to promote their brand their was a backlash with the audience because this body image was in most cases not natural and unnatainable.

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Gymshark All Access - FIBO Cologne, GER. Episode 6 ft. Sophia Theil, Bradley Martyn and Marc Fitt

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Coke vs. Pepsi: A Scary Halloween Ad Campaign

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Coke vs. Pepsi: A Scary Halloween Ad Campaign

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On its Facebook and Twitter sites, Pepsi ran a social media campaign that received a lot of attention. Pepsi felt it would be fun to poke fun at Coca-Cola in advance of Halloween.

"We wish you a spooky Halloween", that is all the text on the image says. It was clearly intended to convey the idea that dressing up as Coca-Cola for Halloween would be "scary." The idea itself isn't all that strong to begin with. To avoid the legal implications of the letter swapping, they intentionally misspelt Coca-Cola on the cape as Cola Coca, which you might not have seen at first look.

It didn't take long for a reaction to surface. However, the response came from a Coca Cola fan, not Coca Cola or any advertising agency.

"Everyone wants to be a hero", according to the visual text on the fan. Naturally, this dismisses the idea that Pepsi is aiming to be a hero, like Coca-Cola, rather than wearing a "scary" cape for Halloween.

This illustrates two essential aspects of advertising. If you're going to employ even a representation of your rivals in advertising, it should be creative and well-planned. In advertisements and other forms of advertising, Coke, Pepsi, and other competitors frequently utilise each other's names; yet, doing so exposes you to criticism. If such is the case, you had better have a very solid argument because if the reply outsmarts your notion, you lose.

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When Coca-Cola reformulated the flavour of Coca-Cola Zero Sugar (Coca-Cola No Sugar in Australia), to taste more like Coca-Cola Classic, it knew the issue it would face was inviting lapsed users back into the brand. As part of its global campaign, Coca-Cola invited users to comment on the new flavour formulation, and instead of purely making the claim that this is the best Coke ever, Coca-Cola asked this as a question? What resulted was huge prosumer engagement, with consumers creating their own Coca-Cola content using the audio from the Coca-Cola Zero Sugar marketing piece, with images and videos from their own life, interacting with the brand. A great way to convince lapsed users that the flavour (and brand) is worth trying again.

#bestcokeever hashtag on Instagram • Photos and videos

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View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Roma Michael Official (@romamichael78)

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In 2019 American bank Chase attempted share a “light-hearted and relatable” tweet aimed at raising motivation for people to save money. With the hashtag #MondayMotivation the tweet was a hypothetical conversation between a customer and their bank account with the customer wondering why their balance was low.

The intention of the tweet was to motivate people to be financially responsible while tapping into the quirky self-deprecating humour that is very common on Twitter. From a branding perspective Chase was trying to position themselves as more than just a bank, but a supportive and relivable mentor to its customers, while at the same time tapping into their sense of fun. Interestingly these align with the functional and hedonic brand associations identified by Schivinski et al., (2020).

However, the tweet was interpreted in quite a different way as “poor-shaming” and received a swift social media backlash. It was seen as particular hypocritical for an organisation that received a $25billion dollar bailout in the 2008 financial crisis to be making judgements on the financial habits of others.

Consumers interpreted the tweet through the lens of their existing opinions of the bank which had recently received scathing recent media criticism over the large disparity in pay between company executives and low-level employees (in particular the viral Katie Porter video). In this context Chase was seen as being out of touch with everyday people and a cold-hearted organisation that mocked working Americans.

In response to the backlash Chase deleted the tweet and issued a vague apology however the result was a massive dent to the company’s brand image. Rather than encouraging people to identify with the brand as being approachable/relatable it further distanced its customers.

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Harry Styles (the brand) released a new song called As It Was recently and it quickly became a TikTok trend with users using it to show photos of themselves over the last few pandemic years which have been a struggle for a lot of people. The consumers used the song to create their own personal meanings to the lyrics and then shared it on the app.
It undoubtedly had a positive effect on the brand as it gave additional meaning to the song and it naturally increased awareness of the song for TikTok users, which is used heavily by the brand's younger target market.

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Harry Styles dropped his latest song only days ago and already it's spread across TikTok and 'As It Was' has become a trend, but what is it?

On Friday, April 1, Styles dropped his track 'As It Was', and safe to say, it's a bop. If people weren't already convinced he's done the modern-day equivalent of what Robbie Williams and Justin Timberlake did before him - transition, successfully, from boy band member to solo artist - then this song and video might just convince you.

What is 'As It Was'?

'As It Was' is the lead song to Styles' upcoming third solo studio album - due to be released on May 20 - and the song and its video, have captivated people, as it's already racked up over 37 million views on Youtube.

The songs poignant line comes in the chorus when the former One Direction star sings 'you know it's not the same as it was' and it triggers thoughts and feelings of being vulnerable. Whether the song is about a relationship Styles had or commentary on the changing world around us it has prompted people to take to TikTok and share their vulnerability in the form of photos of themselves as they were - or as it was - in past years, documenting their personal change.

The TikTok Trend

In the trend TikTok users post a video featuring images of themselves from 2022, 2021, 2020, and 2019 - showing the most recent picture as the song plays 'you know it's not the same', then the next three as Styles repeats 'as it was' three times.

Some TikTok users say looking at the short time - which covers pre to post pandemic - they feel like a completely different person. While others say it can be painful to look back over it.

The time span fits perfectly with the song and with the reflection that even with the lifting of all COVID restrictions in the UK this year life isn't the same as it was and chances our neither is anyone who got through it. But for many TikTok users it's allowed them to see how they've changed and grown since 2019.

Have something to tell us about this article?

Rachael is the Senior Content Editor at Freshered. She is NCTJ qualified with an MA in journalism. Rachael has almost ten years experience as a journalist in regional, national and international press and is passionate about creating engaging content.

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Harry Styles' As It Was Becomes New TikTok Trend With Pre to Post Pandemic Feel

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Harry Styles dropped his latest song only days ago and already it's spread across TikTok and 'As It Was' has become a trend, but what is it? On Friday, April 1, Styles dropped his track 'As It Was', and safe to say, it's a bop.

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Minions: The Rise of Gru & Tik tok Trend #GentleMinions

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Minions: The Rise of Gru & Tik tok Trend #GentleMinions

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The latest release of the franchise Minions, “The Rise of Gru”, started a Tik Tok trend, #GentleMinion, where young males would suit up and show up in the cinemas very elegantly to watch the film.

This trend was so booming that Universal Studios acknowledged the Tik Tokers. This trend isn’t linked to the movie plot and is a good example of presumption.

The trend has given the film additional unpaid promotion and has increased its Box Office worldwide.

The downside is that parents and other viewers have complained in some locations because these groups have been disruptive during the movie. In some instances, cinemas have warned the public that access will be denied.

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In 2012, Brad Pitt was the first male personality to endorse Chanel No 5, the brand’s iconic and legendary women’s fragrance. Launched in 1921, No 5 ad campaigns traditionally feature classic Hollywood actresses such as Marilyn Monroe, Catherine Deneuve, Audrey Tatou and Nicole Kidman. The Brad Pitt campaign was a totally different direction that resulted in a media storm and launched thousands of spoofs. However, the countless parodies that followed the Brad Pitt commercial couldn’t damage Chanel’s long-standing leadership position in the beauty category and the No 5 iconic status still remains.
Popsugar: https://www.popsugar.com/beauty/Brad-Pitt-Chanel-Commercial-Best-Spoofs-Parodies-25624444
SNL spoof - https://youtu.be/pd_BOTXkr18

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Launched in 2018, the Coles Little Shop Collectables campaign was a big success financially. For every $30 spent, shoppers could collect up to 30 miniature household items which were mostly made from plastic. Credited with increasing sales by 5% in the first quarter of 2019, the campaign however attracted widespread criticism due to the environmental impact of the toys ending up in landfill or polluting beaches. Coming on the back of Coles banning single use plastic bags, the brand's green credentials suffered greatly.
In recognising the sustainability concerns of consumers and environmentalists (and as part of its goal of becoming Australia's most sustainable supermarket) from 2021 the brand banned give-away collectable plastic toys.
(70% of Coles customers surveyed identified reducing waste to landfill and plastic packaging was the number one concern when it came to environmental in retail).
In this case, the Coles brand image was negatively impacted and led to a realignment with brand values.

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A broken guitar, a YouTube video and a new era of customer service 

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A broken guitar, a YouTube video and a new era of customer service 

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UAL customer Dave Carroll created his own meaning of the UAL brand by writing a song (COBRA) that explained his poor experience on a flight when his guitar was damaged in 2009. He complained with little response from the airline, so he made a music video and within four days, “United Breaks Guitars” video had hit a million views on YouTube.

“It was widely reported that within five days of Canadian musician Dave Carroll posting a video for a song called “United Breaks Guitars” on YouTube back in July 2009, United Airlines lost 10% of its market value, costing shareholders roughly $180 million dollars.

But with well over 19 million views, a blitz of media coverage and Carroll’s subsequent ascent to an international customer service guru, the video marked a turning point for accountability to customers, globally, and greatly affected United itself –– whether measured in dividends or not.” (Tommy Andres, Marketplace.org 5 July 2019)

Quote from Dave Carroll in 2017: “I think it changed everyone’s (life). ‘United Breaks Guitars’ was an early sign that in this new digital world, one customer can affect the profitability of the world’s biggest brands on a budget of, in my case, $150. Companies now are listening much more closely than they ever did before, consumers are feeling more empowered and every customer can have a voice … even if he or she can’t sing.”

In this case it didn’t completely change the company culture and UAL went on to encounter new blunders particularly in 2017 when a customer was dragged from a plane, which impacted their Consumer Brand Engagement (CBE) and would essentially have reduced overall brand equity (OBE)

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"Guitar Guy" sings about United Airlines damaging Taylor guitar

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In 2013 Vodafone released an ad built around the idea of reengaging consumers through connecting with their inner child. There was however massive backlash from the public, stating the children were being sexualised and the scene of a kid kicking a watermelon was in poor taste as kids in some countries are starving to death. Subsequently the relaunch of the brand was short lived and the ads were removed after multiple complaints to the Advertising standards board.

https://vimeo.com/158106152

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An example I can think of is when Optus gained the rights to EPL coverage in 2016. When announcing the deal and launching the pricing structure they faced instant outrage online from football fans across Australia. By forcing fans to take out Optus phone contracts or internet deals to gain access to the EPL Optus alienated a large portion of the population who just wanted access to the EPL. Optus didn’t allow any provisions for people who would happily pay them to watch its EPL coverage, without also paying it for another, entirely unrelated product. Although this approach may have gained Optus some new customers in the short term, I imagine many bought into the product with a sense of resentment rather than being excited by the brand. Other would have completely boycotted Optus because of their approach. Optus do still have the rights to the EPL but they way they handled the launch has always left a sour taste and for football fans that might be hard to shift. If they were to lose the rights to EPL it would be interesting to see how many customers leave the brand as a result.

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In 2016 Activision prepared to release a new Call of Duty. Thematically it was a huge departure from "boots-on-the-ground" combat of previous games, this time heading the space. They released a trailer that completely back fried. The community disliked the trailer on YouTube in the hundreds of thousands within the first few hours and days. It was clear that this was not the game the community wanted. It immediately put the launch of the game on the back foot and ultimately it was unable to shift the perception that this a poor quality game, without any gameplay having been released. One change that it sparked was for the brand to listen more deeply to the community. One potential change it could spark is to give fans the power. Give them behind-the-scenes access and perhaps give them the opportunity to create the trailer, ensuring it receives community validation from the off-set. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tfimeu9XY0&ab_channel=ClintBeastwood

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How the Internet Reacted To The Infinite Warfare Trailer

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The Tim Tam slam has taken on a life force of it's own. People uploading videos of them eating the biscuit and adding their own twist on the reaction. The brand has embraced this and it is now part of the brand personality.

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The first example that came to mind was this Women's Network logo released by a government department earlier this year. Quickly after being released, the logo's 'phallic' shape was called out and mocked on social media. The backlash was so intense, the logo was taken down. There is another Australian brand called Women's Network, which has a much less risqué logo. Unfortunately, they were caught up in this storm and were forced to release a statement online. Brand damage - all around, for both brands and the government as well.

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A women's network logo widely mocked for its phallic shape has been withdrawn by the Australian prime minister's department.

The Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet issued a statement on Tuesday that the logo had been "removed" from its website "pending consultation with staff".

The logo consisted of a cursive W with a domed protuberance, which women's groups and social media users complained resembled male genitalia.

Critics included the National Older Women's Network, which described it as "either thoughtless or an insult":

I thought this was satire, but it is either thoughtless or an insult. Public money was spent getting a graphic artist, choosing the designing, selecting colours, approving, printing and publishing this logo for the Prime Minister's and Cabinet's Women's Network.
Poor messaging. pic.twitter.com/jDYKNdMCkg
- National Older Women's Network Australia (@OlderWomenNetAu) March 13, 2022

The department said the logo was the result of a 2019 rebrand of staff diversity networks "to establish a consistent look and feel" between insignia for groups including the women's network.

"The Women's Network logo retained a 'W' icon which staff had been using for a number of years," it said.

"The rebrand was completed internally, using existing resources, and designs were consulted on widely. No external providers were engaged for this work."

"The prime minister and the prime minister's office were not part of this logo design."

The Morrison government has come under fire for its handling of women's issues since early 2021 when a historical allegation of sexual assault against the then attorney general, Christian Porter, was revealed, which he denied.

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This month prominent women, including the former Australian of the year Grace Tame and the former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins, launched a fresh call for the Morrison government to implement significant policies to protect women and children from violence, harassment and discrimination.

In February Scott Morrison, along with other political leaders, apologised for the "terrible things" that happened in parliament workplaces and acknowledged that a culture of bullying, abuse, harassment "and in some cases even violence" had built up over decades.

The prime minister's apology followed a landmark review by Australia's sex discrimination commissioner, Kate Jenkins, in 2021 into federal parliament's culture.

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Australian PM's department drops widely mocked 'phallic' women's network logo

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A women's network logo widely mocked for its phallic shape has been withdrawn by the Australian prime minister's department. The Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet issued a statement on Tuesday that the logo had been "removed" from its website "pending consultation with staff".