15 Insanely Terrible Advertising Campaigns You Won't Believe Are Real
8. Miracle Whip Rebrands Itself As Hipster Mayonnaise
Nothing gets the kids riled up like some good ol' fashion Miracle Whip! In 2009, Kraft decided it wanted to rebrand the dressing, and they came up with one of the most embarrassing ideas imaginable: marketing it as some sort of punk rock alternative to mayonnaise.
In the TV commercial, a bunch of hipsters sit around eating sandwiches, playing guitar, and dancing to rock music on a rooftop, because what makes you want to rock out more than putting a bit of dressing on a BLT? The commercial says, "We will not be quiet. We will not try to blend in, disappear in the background, play second fiddle...We're not like the others. We'll never try to be. We are our own mixed up blend of one of a kind spices. We are Miracle Whip, and we will not tone it down."
This attempt to appeal to youth totally backfired and was met with nothing but laughter. Even worse, after Stephen Colbert did a segment mocking the ad, Kraft responded with a defensive TV spot that called him out by name and said they're better than him. So after trying to get young people engaged, they proceed to publicly insult their favorite comedian. Good going!