Something important I have come across this week is the importance of staying loyal brand values of a company. As our class is beginning to work on creating an ad campaign for Hotels.com, staying loyal to Hotels.com values is something we must keep in mind.
I recently read an article online about staying loyal to your company’s values.It is extremely important to create advertising content that is consistent with a company’s values. In Boston, Massachusetts, a McDonald’s print ad was displayed on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. The ad featured a women looking down and holding her head and read “You’re Not Alone. Millions of People Love the Big Mac.” The ad also featured a 1-800 hotline help number, which is the McDonald’s headquarters number.
The ad came across as offensive and insensitive because it mimics depression and mental health ads. Apparently, McDonalds did not approve the ad and asked for it to be taken down immediately. McDonalds did not approve this ad because it was not consistent with their brand values. The ad agency Arnold in Boston accidently released the ad and the president; Pam Hamlin greatly apologized for its unintended error.
It is so important companies make sure their ad agencies release ads that are consistent with their brand values. The ads should not be offensive or insensitive to any audience because that tends to give the company a poor reputation. McDonald’s is such a strong brand that this one ad incident will not hurt their business, but if something like this happened to a company that is not as established as McDonalds, could really hurt one’s brand.
While we are beginning to work on our campaigns for Hotels.com, it is important to remember not to create anything offensive and insensitive and to stay consistent with their brand values. This will ensure that a good and successful campaign can be created!
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