What do Taylor Swift, Bill Gates, Lebron James and Kermit the Frog all have in common? This past summer, they all took part, along with millions of others, in the Ice Bucket Challenge to support the ALS Association helping to raise over $100 million. Coca-Cola has seen its sales increase for the first time in ten years thanks to its new #ShareACoke campaign.
Not all have been so lucky, however, and many have seen their shot at viral fame end up hurting their company. The Interrobang remembers some of the worst #ViralFails of the last few years that will make you think twice before launching your next campaign.
In 2006, General Motors asked viewers to create their own Chevy Tahoe commercials and post to their website. The result was dozens of ads bashing the car for weeks. In 2007, television network Adult Swim decided it would be a good idea to place small, glowing billboards on buildings and bridges across the country. This panicked the Boston police, who shut down several of the cities major highways for several hours and Turner Broadcasting was fined $2 million for the stunt.
See more #ViralFails at http://theinterrobang.com/misguided-marketing-viral-ad-fails/
