They had the budget, the brains, the branding and still managed to trip over their own marketing. These are the million-dollar ideas that turned into PR faceplants. The campaigns cooked up in glossy boardrooms that crashed and burned on Main Street. Genius promotions only smart until they met the real world.
From tone-deaf to wildly overpromised, others felt so bizarre you'd swear they were pranks. But every single one made headlines, lost dollars, and left executives sweating through their power suits.
Click through for the wild, the weird, and the wonderfully awful stories of when big brands got it oh-so-wrong. It's a masterclass in marketing mayhem and a reminder that even billion-dollar companies can still step in it. Hard.
1
KFC’s "Free Chicken for a Year"
A viral TikTok contest offering free chicken for a year attracted overwhelming participation. KFC was flooded with redemptions, and some stores struggled to keep up with demand.
2
Red Lobster’s Unlimited Shrimp Promotion
Red Lobster’s “endless shrimp” deal was a hit, but it attracted huge crowds and caused long wait times. The surge in demand led to supply shortages and frustrated customers, forcing the chain to limit the promotion.
3
Wendy’s “4 for $4” Deal
While wildly popular, this promotion at times caused operational slowdowns at locations due to overwhelming demand.
4
Pepsi’s “Pepsi Stuff” Rewards Program
Pepsi offered points on purchases redeemable for prizes. When a rare Harrier Jet was advertised as a prize due to a misunderstanding, it led to a ridiculous legal battle and major PR headache.
5
IHOP’s “Pancake Happy Hour”
Offering discounted pancakes in the afternoon drew unexpected crowds, leading to long waits and occasional shortages of ingredients.
6
Tesla’s Referral Program
Tesla’s referral program promised rewards for bringing in new buyers, but it sparked confusion and frustration when early referrers felt later promotions were unfair or that rewards were delayed, causing backlash in the fan community.
7
Domino’s “Turnaround Story” Promotion
Domino’s launched a bold campaign admitting their pizza sucked and invited feedback, offering deals and discounts. The honesty was praised, but the flood of feedback and promotions overwhelmed staff and led to some logistical headaches.
8
Starbucks’ Free Coffee Day
Starbucks’ free coffee day attracted so many customers that some stores ran out of coffee mid-promotion, causing frustration and long lines.
9
Taco Bell’s “Steal a Base, Steal a Taco”
This fun promotion gives away free tacos when a player steals a base during the World Series. It’s popular enough that Taco Bell has to prepare for huge surges in demand and sometimes runs out of free tacos.
10
Krispy Kreme’s Free Doughnut Day
This annual promotion draws massive crowds. Some locations have struggled to meet demand, causing long waits and occasional chaos.
11
Hoover’s Free Flights Fiasco
Hoover’s promise of 2 free tickets to New York with vacuum purchases over £100 turned into a nightmare. Thousands of customers claimed the offer, but the costs skyrocketed, resulting in a £48 million loss and six years of costly legal battles.
12
IHOP’s Free Pancakes for a Year
IHOP gave away free pancakes for a year with the purchase of a short stack, expecting moderate interest. Instead, the promotion went viral, leading to long lines and supply shortages, forcing the chain to impose limits.
13
American Airlines “$200 Flights” Promotion
When American Airlines offered $200 round-trip fares to celebrate a route launch, it went viral and overwhelmed their booking system, causing crashes and customer frustration.
14
Black Friday Sales Gone Wrong (Various Retailers)
Countless retailers like Walmart and Target have faced stampedes, fights, and injuries during Black Friday promotions due to overwhelming crowds drawn by limited-time discounts, leading to safety concerns and negative headlines.
15
Fyre Festival
The infamous music festival promised luxury experiences and exclusive events, but organizers grossly underestimated logistics. The result was chaos, stranded attendees, and a PR disaster that led to lawsuits and criminal charges.
16
McDonald’s Monopoly Game Fraud
Though not a direct customer giveaway, the widely popular Monopoly game promotion was rigged by an insider, causing legal problems and loss of trust when the fraud was uncovered.
17
Domino’s Pizza Promo Gone Viral
An old trial promo code for free pizzas surfaced online, prompting Domino’s to give away 11,000 free pies before quickly pulling the offer. The viral spread turned a simple promotion into an expensive surprise.
18
Pepsi’s Philippine Prize Panic
Pepsi’s promo promised 1 million pesos to anyone who found a bottle top marked 349; only to discover half a million winning tops had been made! The chaos led to £13 million in payouts, thousands of lawsuits, riots, and attacks on bottling plants.
19
Tesco Bananas Bonanza
In 1997, Tesco’s deal offering 25 clubcard points (£1.25) for bananas priced at £1.17 led physicist Phil Calcott to buy nearly 1,000 lbs of bananas for a tidy profit. When the store refused further bulk buys, he earned £25.12; which he generously donated to passers-by.
20
Build-A-Bear's "Pay Your Age" Promotion
Intended to be a low-cost promotion where customers paid the age of their child for a bear, it went viral and attracted enormous crowds, leading to long wait times and the company having to turn away guests.
