Krispy Kreme Gets Slammed for KKK Promo

Posted on by Patty Odell

There’s been a string of them lately. Brands and agencies that put out promotions that leave us saying, “What were they thinking?”

The latest blunder comes from a Krispy Kreme franchisee that didn’t think the use of the acronym KKK in a new promotion might offend some people. Well it posted the promo on its Facebook page and heard about it from its fans who brought to the owner’s attention that the letters KKK are widely known for the Ku Klux Klan. The franchise quickly pulled the promo and put out an apology. KKK was supposed to stand for “Krispy Kreme Klub.”

In January, McDonald’s used its airtime during the NFL playoffs and Golden Globes to push out a montage of messages appearing on dozens of its franchisees famous Golden Arches signs in support of local devastating events. But that was shortly after the bloodbath at the Charlie Hebdo offices in Paris and not everyone thought it a smart idea.

And during the Super Bowl last month, Nationwide Insurance’s spot backfired by making a lot of people really upset. Its spot was designed to get people talking about child safety, but after the message showed an adorable, life-filled young boy talking about never getting to getting to travel the world or ride a bike because the viewers were led to presume that he drowned in an overflowing bathtub shown at the end of the spot, or ate poison, the opposite happened.

These types of blunders, however innocent or well-meaning, can have long lasting consequences. Are marketers and agencies still testing promotions with consumer focus groups before they roll out to a broader audience? Are they running these ideas past colleagues outside of the marketing department to get a different perspective? I hope so.

So, yes, we wonder. What were they thinking?

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