Catchy–Like the Flu
Sometimes marketers have images linked to their brands that are completely out of their control. And the results ain’t always positive.
On last night’s rerun of “Lost,” a representative of Oceanic Airlines informed the half dozen survivors of doomed Flight 815 that the press had dubbed them The Oceanic Six. “Not the best branding for us,” she said. “But it is catchy.”
Coffee company Tchibo and petrol station chain Esso recently had to scuttle a joint ad campaign in Germany when people complained the slogan was a bit too similar to one used at a Nazi concentration camp. Oops.
As Reuters UK reports, the companies said they were unaware of the significance of “Jedem den Seinen”, which translates “to each his own” or “to each what he deserves.” For Germans, it was a little too close for comfort to “Jedem das Seine” which was posted at the entrance to the Buchenwald concentration camp.
As always, it just proves that marketers can’t always predict what will happen when they release a campaign out into the world. It might be catchy like a peppy hummable top 40 tune
