Under the Influence with Terry O'Reilly - Recorded Live in Toronto: Wicked Brand Fails of 2024

Episode Date: March 8, 2025

Recorded before a live audience at Reid’s Distillery, this episode lists some of the biggest brand fails of 2024.We’ll talk about when Apple launched its thinnest computer ever, which led to a big fat PR problem.We’ll look at a seasonal candle that fired up accusations of white supremacy.And we’ll try and figure out how a children’s doll package ended up listing the URL for a porn site. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hi, it's Terry O'Reilly. You may know me as the host of Under the Influence, but my passion is The Beatles. And I'm hosting a new podcast series called The Beetleology Interviews. I get to talk to people who worked with The Beatles and love The Beatles and people who write about The Beatles. And their stories are surprising and so very interesting. The Beetleology Interviews. Give it a listen today.

At Edward Jones, they do money differently. They seek to understand their clients' priorities, learning about their goals at a personal level, before they even begin to provide any advice, working to build relationships and helping develop strategies that support a client's financial goals. By taking a wellness approach to finance, Edward Jones focuses on how financial health plays as much of a role in a fulfilled life as any other aspect of personal health. And Edward Jones provides balance and perspective reminding us all in these interesting times that money is a method of achieving goals not the end goal itself. If you want to do money differently go

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Douglas Mattress, Canada's best mattress. This episode was recorded before a live audience at Reed's Distillery in Toronto. This is an Apostrophe Podcast production. Come with me, that's a spicy meatball. What love doesn't conquer, all can sell through will. What a relief! You're under the influence with Terry O'Reilly. Those are possibly the most famous four opening notes in music history. They are the opening notes elicit terror, fright, horror, and profound dread in listeners. Beethoven himself once described the notes as,

Fate knocking at the door. The piece had enormous pop-cultural staying power. His Fifth Symphony is not only one of the epic pieces of classical music, it even went to number one on the Billboard chart in 1976, albeit with a slight disco groove. But for all its fame and popularity, it was a dismal failure for Beethoven when he first debuted it back in 1808. 215 years ago, Ludwig von Beethoven was in his mid-30s and was struggling with increasing deafness. He debuted his new symphony at the Theater von der Wien in Vienna. It was a bitterly frigid night.

The venue was cold and the audience was fidgety. Beethoven was conducting eight of his works during the four-hour concert, and his Fifth Symphony was sandwiched in the middle. Unfortunately, the orchestra had little time to practice these unfamiliar pieces. As the audience watched, the musicians made numerous mistakes. A teenage soprano was suddenly seized with stage fright and made a disaster of the solo. During the final piece of the night, the orchestra got so lost, Beethoven, acting as conductor and pianist,

had to actually stop the performance and had them start all over again. To say the audience was unhappy and exhausted would be an understatement. It's hard to believe, Beethoven's famous Fifth Symphony was an unmitigated failure that night. Needless to say, the world of marketing has had its fair share of unmitigated failures. And I'm just talking about 2024. fair share of unmitigated failures. And I'm just talking about 2024.

Last year, there were several surprising brand failures, ranging from a rare misstep from one of the world's largest companies to something as small as a candle to a children's doll package with the wrong URL. Little did those brands know it was fate knocking at the door. Since the mid 80s, Apple has been one of the world's best marketers.

Founder Steve Jobs had a marketing strategy he never veered from, that Apple took power from corporations and put it into the hands of the individual. And not just power, but creative power. Nowhere was that philosophy more clearly articulated than in the famous commercial directed by Ridley Scott that aired in Super Bowl XVIII. It was titled 1984. The commercial, which we've talked about often on this show, has been called the best television ad of all time. It began by showing a gray dystopian future where people are being ruled by Big Brother

who is pontificating on a gigantic screen. The old history, a garden of pure ideology. Then suddenly, a woman dressed in bright red runs in, pursued by futuristic police, and she smashes the screen with a sledgehammer. As a voiceover says, On January 24th, Apple Computer will introduce Macintosh. And you'll see why 1984 won't be like 1984.

It was Apple's foundational statement. Anti-corporation, anti-conformity, pro-creativity. So it was surprising last year when Apple released a commercial titled Crush. The 60-second commercial was announcing the launch of the new iPad Pro tablet, Apple's thinnest tablet yet. Sometimes when I'm down and all alone It began by showing a number of objects in a pile. That included a trumpet, a piano, a television, cans of colorful paint, speakers, a guitar, cameras and books, all being demolished by an industrial crusher.

As we see all these items completely flattened to the cheerful tune of Sonny and Cher's All I Ever Need Is You, the crusher then opens its jaws to reveal the new iPad Pro. The point of the ad was to say that all these objects of human creativity are now compressed into one impossibly sleek tablet. Except, the opposite message was delivered. When the commercial launched it was instantly panned. People interpreted it as

crushing humanity. That instead of compressing so much creativity into one thin computer, the commercial was soul-crushing. The demolition of beautiful and inspiring creative tools seems so tone-de deaf in an era where so many fear that tech and AI will overtake humanity. The ad also seemed out of step with Apple's ethos. On social media actor Hugh Grant said quote the destruction of the human experience courtesy of Silicon Valley. Another commentator said quote quote, 40 years ago,

Apple released the 1984 commercial as a bold statement against a dystopian future. Now you are that dystopian future. Congratulations. Apple's misstep was one I've seen play out many times in advertising.

Everyone clearly got the intended commercial message that the new iPad Pro was the thinnest most powerful Apple computer yet. But the imagery gave viewers a different feeling. It was kind of like being seasick. Your eyes and your stomach registered two distinctly different impressions. It just didn't sit well. Apple's Vice President of Marketing immediately issued a rare apology stating that, Creativity is in our DNA at Apple.

Our goal is to always celebrate the myriad of ways users express themselves and bring their ideas to life through iPad. We missed the mark with this video and we're sorry. As with any marketing misstep, it opened the door for a rival to do a little trolling. Samsung quickly released a commercial titled Uncrush. Samsung quickly released a commercial titled Uncrush. As it begins, we are seemingly back in the same room as the Apple industrial compressor with all the crushed instruments and paint colors strewn across the floor.

A woman walks in and discovers a partially destroyed guitar. She turns on her Samsung tablet that displays some musical notation and then she does some tuning. Then she plays a song. Words on the screen say, creativity cannot be crushed. Samsung Galaxy. The entire incident demonstrated how a mistake can cost a company twice. First, in the damage of the initial misstep, and then in the opportunity it creates for rivals to capitalize on that mistake.

Don't go away. We'll be right back after a word from the sponsors for rivals to capitalize on that mistake. Don't go away. We'll be right back after a word from the sponsors who make this podcast possible. I co-founded a production company in Toronto many years ago. When we needed to find a new person and needed to find that person fast, there was just no way to do it quickly. But you are lucky. You get to use Indeed.

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Matte Frame when you use the code INFLUENCE. That's auraframes.com, a-u-r-a-frames.com, and don't forget to use the code INFLUENCE so they know we sent you. Terms and conditions apply. I'm always taking book recommendations. I have a book club on my website where I share some of my favorites, and right on that page, I take your suggestions as well. And recently, I came across the title, Sapiens.

100,000 years ago, at least six different species of humans inhabited Earth. Yet today there's only one, Homo sapiens. What happened to the others? And what could happen to us? From renowned historian Yuval Noah Harari, sapiens is a groundbreaking narrative of humanity's creation and evolution. This meticulously researched book explores the ways biology and history have defined us and enhanced our understanding of what it means to be human.

And now you can listen your way through human history by downloading the audiobook on Spotify, where premium users can now enjoy 15 hours of audiobook listening time every month. Sapiens is a number one international bestseller. Barack Obama said Sapiens gives us a sense of perspective on just how briefly we've been on this earth. And Bill Gates said you'll have a hard time putting it down. Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari. Add a Penguin Random House Canada audiobook to your playlist on Spotify.

In the fall of 2024, a company called Bath and Body Works released a seasonal candle. The company called the candle Snowed In. The label was decorated with a stylized paper cutout of a snowflake. On the Bath and Body Works website, the candle was described as having cozy notes of buttermilk, musk and vanilla. But to many, it had cozy notes of the KKK. Even though it was clearly unintentional, the peaks of the snowflake on the label did look like Ku Klux Klan hoods, complete with eye holes. And it didn't take long for people to start posting about it. Social media started calling it a clandal.

Once the controversy hit, Bath & Body Works quickly pulled the candle off their website and out of its retail locations. The company issued an apology saying, We are committed to listening to our teams and customers and committed to fixing to our teams and customers and committed to fixing any mistakes we make, even those that are unintentional like this one. We apologize to anyone we have offended.

Candles are a staple at Bath & Body Works and every year the retailer rolls out its collection of holiday scented candles. That meant it was extremely important to get ahead of the problem. This particular issue reveals the bigger problem at most corporations, namely the lack of diversity amongst the people who are approving products and making marketing decisions. Especially in this divisive era we're living in where dog whistles seem to be everywhere. Even though the snowed-in candles were all pulled from the shelves and all online orders canceled, people still resold them on eBay with some listings asking as much as $360. Back in October of 2024,

Heinz released a campaign that was created to capitalize on two pop culture moments. First, the Joker 2 movie was coming out and second, the sequel to the horror movie Smile was being released. So the Heinz marketing team decided to hack the smiles and have fun with the irrational love people have for Heinz in pop culture. It launched a three-part campaign showing Heinz fans smiling uncontrollably with ketchup

smeared on their mouths, throwing etiquette right out the window. The ads said it ha ha has to be Heinz. The campaign was released close to Halloween and Heinz said it couldn't wait to see how people reacted to the ads and hoped it would spark a conversation. It wasn't the conversation they were hoping for. People immediately took issue with the campaign. They complained that one image in particular that showed a black man laughing hysterically with red ketchup smeared on his lips had echoes of black

face in minstrel shows from the 19th and early 20th centuries where black people when portrayed by white actors were given exaggerated clownish features. The ad was intended to reference the new Joker and smile movies but like the Bath and Body Works candle the imagery sent a different message. Hines pulled the ads immediately and issued a statement saying, As a consumer-obsessed company, we are actively listening and learning and sincerely apologize for any offense caused by our recent Smiles campaign. Although it was intended to resonate with the current pop culture moment,

we recognize that this does not excuse the hurt it may have caused. We will do better. It was a bad week for Heinz. Another campaign that it was running in Europe also had to be yanked. This one was promoting Heinz pasta sauce. The ad in question, which ran as large posters in London subways, showed a black bride smiling as she spilled spaghetti sauce on her white wedding dress. She is surrounded by the white groom's two parents on her right and an older black woman, presumably her mother, on the left. Her black father is noticeably absent. on the left. Her black father is noticeably absent.

Again, Hines issued an apology stating, We always appreciate members of the public's perspective on our campaigns. We understand how this ad could be unintentionally perpetuating negative stereotypes. We extend our deepest apologies and will continue to listen, learn and improve to avoid this happening again in the future. Neither of these ads intended to cause harm, but the inadvertently echoed visual tropes from the past that marginalize black individuals. As with the candle, it's apparent who isn't in the room when these ads are being approved.

Smart companies try and identify their blind spots. It's not about avoiding bad press. It's about recognizing that diversity is not just a trend, it is a reality. Back in April of 2024, the dating app Bumble decided to rebrand its image. Since the pandemic, it's been a tough time for dating apps. According to the New York Times, the industry had lost more than $40 billion since 2021. And Bumble announced 350 job cuts just three months before the rebranding, which accounted for 30% of its workforce. Before the rebranding was revealed on April 30th, Bumble ran teaser ads with the theme that women were exhausted with the dating scene. As you may know, Bumble's point of difference was that it empowered women, letting women

make the first move in an industry dominated by male-centric dating apps. When Bumble's new rebranding was finally revealed on April 30th, billboards went up that said, you know full well that a vow of celibacy is not the answer. And a video was posted online. It showed a woman who was so tired of dating, she travels to a remote convent. She knocks on the door. And the nuns who answer are dressed in foreboding yellow habits that look like the uniforms worn by the women in the Handmaid's Tale. The woman begins

her new life of celibacy at the convent but one day she spots a shirtless sweaty muscular male gardener cutting a hedge. Waves of lust cross her face. That night another nun slips her the refreshed Bumble app. In the final scene we see a woman leaving the convent to re-enter the world of dating. Words on the screen say, we've changed so you don't have to. Introdu introducing the new Bumble. The social media backlash was swift. It didn't take long for people to attack the Bumble campaign for suggesting that celibacy was not a valid choice,

especially in the face of reproductive rights being restricted in the US. One Instagram user posted that, Celebesy is absolutely the right answer when our rights are taken away from us. On TikTok, model and actress Julia Fox said, Two and a half years of celibacy and never been better, to be honest. The backlash didn't stop there. Articles were written stating that Bumble didn't respect a woman's bodily autonomy

and that the dating app needed to support a woman's right to choose. Many said it was especially disappointing since Bumble was founded by women, for women. The target audience reposted photos of the billboards, calling for a boycott and one-star reviews. Bumble responded and issued an apology. The statement read, "'We made a mistake. "'Our ads referencing celibacy were an attempt "'to lean into a community frustrated by modern dating,

"'and instead of bringing joy and humor, we unintentionally did the opposite. The video was immediately pulled, and Bumble offered to make amends. They made donations to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, as well as other donations to various organizations that support women, marginalized communities, and those impacted by abuse.

Bumble also donated the billboard space to these organizations to display an ad of their choice for the duration of the media run. ["The Bumble's Fumble"] Like Apple's faux pas, Bumble's Fumble allowed a rival to seize an opportunity. So, while the dating app scrambled to abandon the campaign, the billboards lingered. A dating app called Field, F-E-E-L-D, started a guerrilla campaign by papering over the

Bumble billboards with its own message, stating that it had celibacy options on its app. A spokesperson said, quote, Field's dating app celebrates everyone's unique journey, and for more and more people that journey may include celibacy. Whatever you're into, or not into, you can find it on field. Even though Bumble lost customers and its share price dropped, it's believed its quick response did buy back a fair share of good buzz. When we come back, something wicked happens to... I'm listening to a very interesting podcast right now.

It's called The Unusual Suspects with Kenya Barris and Malcolm Gladwell. It's an audible original that features unexpected success stories from the worlds of entertainment, sports, politics, and business. You get to enjoy deep yet casual conversations with guests like late-night TV host Jimmy Kimmel, award-winning filmmaker Ava DuVernay, and rapper-producer Dr. Dre as they talk about their unusual paths to success. Kenya Barris redefined TV comedy, Malcolm Gladwell as we know redefined journalism, and together they are redefining podcasts. The Unusual Suspects with Kenya Barris and Malcolm Gladwell, an Audible original podcast.

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Terms and conditions apply. Hiring, indeed, is all you need. Wicked. 20 years after the success of Wicked on Broadway, the motion picture hit theaters in late 2024. As part of the promotion for the movie, Mattel had licensing rights to release special edition singing dolls. Not only were the dolls being released in anticipation of the blockbuster movie, it was the Christmas shopping season, the busiest quarter for toys the dolls were being sold online and at Walmart Target Macy's and Best Buy and a long list of other stores then someone on social media noticed something there

was a website listed on the doll package instead Instead of wickedmovie.com, it said wicked.com. Wicked.com is a porn site. That mistake went viral at wicked speed. Mattel quickly pulled the dolls from shelves and issued an immediate apology. Mattel quickly pulled the dolls from shelves and issued an immediate apology. Quote, we deeply regret this unfortunate error and are taking immediate action to remedy this. Parents are advised that the misprinted incorrect website is not appropriate for children. Consumers who already have the product are advised to discard the product packaging or obscure the link. Mattel later added this statement, which I love, The previous misprint on the packaging in no way impacts the value or play experience

provided by the product itself. However, that didn't stop a class action lawsuit. After purchasing the dolls for her daughter, a South Carolina parent launched a class action lawsuit. Her daughter went to the X-rated website where she saw quote, hardcore scenes with full on nude pornographic images depicting sexual intercourse. According to the court documents, the plaintiff alleged that Mattel did not offer a refund

and believes that she and her child suffered emotional distress from the misprint. They are seeking $5 million in damages. The snafu didn't seem to affect the movie's box office as Wicked has grossed $680 million worldwide as of this writing. While the original dolls retailed for between $20 and $40, the misprinted packages are now being resold on eBay with a full set listed for as much as $1,000. As with all our stories today, somebody else always benefits from the gaffe. Traffic to the wicked porn site broke a 12-year record.

Having worked in advertising for so many years, I can tell you that every single piece of communication is vetted by many hands. Writers, art directors, producers, creative directors, account supervisors, proofreaders, and large client marketing teams. And still, a wicked.com slips through the cracks. Of course, I once wrote an ad for an industrial plastics company with the wrong phone number in it That number turned out to belong to a small bakery in Wisconsin Yes, it can happen to the best of us When Mattel had to pull all of its dolls it left the company with empty shelves at Christmas When Apple proudly launched its thinnest dolls, it left the company with empty shelves at Christmas.

When Apple proudly launched its thinnest computer ever, it led to a big fat problem. Bath and bodyworks got snowed under. Heinz stopped smiling. And Bumble took a tumble. The ad industry needs more diversity in the boardroom. While marketers agonize over word choice, tone, art direction, and execution, there's still one big catch. No matter how carefully they construct their messages, they don't control how it's received. And

that just may be the most wicked truism of all when you're under the influence. I'm Terry O'Reilly. This episode was recorded at Reed's Distillery in downtown Toronto. Producer, Debbie O'Reilly. Chief sound engineer, Jeff Devine. Live recording by Milan Sarkati. Research, Allison Pinchas. Under the influence theme by Casey Pick, Jeremiah Pick, and James Attengarden. Photography, Katherine Kwan.

Tunes provided by 8 a.m. Music. Hey, let's be social. Follow me at Terry O Influence. This podcast is powered by A-Cast. You wanna read next week's fun fact? Just go to the apostrophepodcast.ca and follow the prompts. See you next week. Fun fact. Hi, this is Callie from Reed's Distillery in Toronto. On Broadway, Wicked has brought in over $1.6 billion in ticket sales since its debut. I'm so excited to be here. I'm so excited to be here.

I'm so excited to be here. I'm so excited to be here. I'm so excited to be here. I'm so excited to be here. I'm so excited to be here. I'm so excited to be here. I'm so excited to be here. I'm so excited to be here.

I'm so excited to be here. I'm so excited to be here. I'm so excited to be here. I'm so excited to be here. I'm so excited to be here. I'm so excited to be here. I'm so excited to be here. I'm so excited to be here.

I'm so excited to be here. I'm so excited to be here. I'm so excited to be here. I'm so excited to be here. I'm so excited to be here. I'm so excited to be here. I'm so excited to be here. dollars in ticket sales since its debut. I'm always taking book recommendations. I have a book club on my website where I share some of my favorites and right on that page, I take your suggestions as well. And recently, I came across the title, Sapiens. One hundred thousand years ago, at least six different species of humans inhabited Earth.

Yet today there's only one, Homo sapiens. What happened to the others? And what could happen to us? From renowned historian Yuval Noah Harari, sapiens is a groundbreaking narrative of humanity's creation and evolution. This meticulously researched book explores the ways biology and history have defined us and enhanced our understanding of what it means to be human. And now you can listen your way through human history

by downloading the audiobook on Spotify, where premium users can now enjoy 15 hours of audiobook listening time every month. Sapiens is a number one international bestseller. Barack Obama said Sapiens gives us a sense of perspective on just how briefly we've been on this earth and Bill Gates said you'll have a hard time putting it down. Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari. Add a Penguin Random House Canada audiobook to your playlist on Spotify.

At Edward Jones, they do money differently. They seek to understand their clients' priorities, learning about their goals at a personal level, before they even begin to provide any advice, working to build relationships and helping develop strategies that support a client's financial goals. By taking a wellness approach to finance, Edward Jones focuses on how financial health plays as much of a role in a fulfilled life as any other aspect of personal health. And Edward Jones provides balance and perspective, reminding us all in these interesting times that money is a method of achieving goals, not the end goal itself.

If you want to do money differently, go to edwardjones.ca. I'm listening to a very interesting podcast right now. It's called The Unusual Suspects with Kenya Barris and Malcolm Gladwell. It's an audible original that features unexpected success stories from the worlds of entertainment, sports, politics, and business. You get to enjoy deep yet casual conversations with guests like late night TV host Jimmy Kimmel, award-winning filmmaker Ava Duvernay, and rapper producer Dr. Dre as they talk about their unusual paths to success. Kenya Barris redefined TV comedy, Malcolm Gladwell as we know redefined journalism,

and together they are redefining podcasts. The Unusual Suspects with Kenya Barris and Malcolm Gladwell, an Audible original podcast. Go to audible.ca slash unusual suspects podcast and listen now.