It seems these days companies will do anything for a bit of exposure.

But in that desperate search for attention, marketing strategies occasionally go beyond just being ignored

and explode into fantastical spectacles of utter failure.

Let's get down to business with some marketing strategies that failed spectacularly.

You're listening. You're listening.

You're listening.

You're listening.

Be amazed.

In 2017, Audi's Chinese marketing team learned that comparing women to used cars is a seriously wrong turn after they

released an ad promoting their used cars. In the ad, we see two people about to get married. In the

middle of the ceremony, however, the groom's mother begins physically inspecting the bride with no

care for her comfort or consent. You know, like you might to livestock or, in this case, a used car. In case,

that comparison wasn't clear enough as the scene concludes the caption, an important decision

must be made carefully appears on the screen. Obviously, comparing women to property,

used property at that, has a slightly troubled past and unsurprisingly this upset a few viewers.

People around the world, especially in China, called for a full boycott of the brand and social media sites blew up with detailed criticism of the ad.

The company tried to duck controversy by having a spokesperson claim it was developed by a joint venture partner, but people weren't satisfied by this and outrage burned on for weeks.

That kind of controversy gets a lot of engagement on social media platforms such as Twitter or, shall I say, X, and occasionally brands try to benefit from these trends as participating in a

popular hashtag can be a clever way for a brand to gain some attention on social media.

Sometimes though brands fail to check other uses of the hashtag to see whether their brand

fits the narrative. This was precisely the case with DeGiorno Pizza's Twitter account in 2014.

Around that time, hashtag why I stayed and hashtag why I left were trending across social

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