Today's award goes to the marketing department at Mini, for this monumental miscalculation.
Mini has taken a step too far in its attempt to be cool. It sponsored a storm cell in Germany that ended up killing more than 70 people and sent more than 500 to hospital.
The Independent newspaper in the UK reports that Mini paid just €299 [about US $392] to sponsor the weather system, a practice that is allowed only in Germany and the USA.
It named the cold front "Cooper" to promote its Mini before tragedy struck.Mini Cooper
A spokeswoman for Mini told the newspaper that the company regretted people had died as a result of Cooper. "Of course we are sorry. It was not intentional, you cannot tell in advance what a weather system will do."
. . .
It is unclear if Mini will go ahead with another planned sponsorship of a low-pressure weather system named "Minnie" later this year.
There's more at the link.
Just how does one live down 70+ deaths and 500+ hospitalizations as the result of your advertising campaign???
Peter
3 comments:
How do you sponsor a weather system?
"Just how does one live down 70+ deaths and 500+ hospitalizations as the result of your advertising campaign???"
I don't think that they died as a result of the advertising campaign. The advertising campaign was not involved in the deaths at all. It was embarrassing to Mini because of their claiming association with the weather system however.
Laurence
Dumb marketing types. Have you noticed Mini is departing from its main money maker (the Mini Cooper and Cooper S) and now has the Countryman and the Clubman, and now they're having to actually advertise. They never did before. And you went to a dealer and ordered yours and paid list! Getting to be at the FAIL state.
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