The 25 worst social media mistakes that have ruined businesses (2023)

If a person raises an issue on social media, they can just delete it. With companies, things are a little different. They can't fix their mistake fast enough for no one to notice. Within minutes, a barrage of angry customers and malicious jokes surfaced. Then these companies have to struggle through and try to pick up the pieces. It's a lot easier said than done. Here are some of the top corporate social media fails of 2023 from popular brands.

Corporate social media failed

Why do corporate social media fail so often? Unfortunately, a small oversight in the advertising department is enough. Either the team is too lazy to care or they don't understand the social climate. Sometimes companies just try to be hip but fail at research. In other cases, employees are unfamiliar with the Internet, so domains are lost or tweets are misinterpreted. However it occurs, it's pretty weird to see the impact and how companies are trying to clean up their mess.

25 Times Companies Have Dropped The Ball On Social Media [Stats & Facts]

Businesses are definitely not immune to Internet errors. Even the big names screw it up sometimes and it makes the fans very angry. Check out this list of the 25 biggest corporate social media failures of 2023. From meme abuse to insensitive jokes, these are the worst of the worst.

1. Boston-Marathon-E-Mail von Adidas

The 2013 Boston Marathon made history because of the terrorist attack that took place during the race. Two home-made bombs exploded, killing 3 people. Dozens more sustained injuries, and 16 of those victims lost limbs. Adidas seemed to have forgotten all that because they sent an insensitive email to runners after the event. The subject of the email was: "Congratulations, you survived the Boston Marathon."

2. SnapChat's "Would you rather" about Rihanna

SnapChat is a social platform that is always on the rise. However, they received backlash after posting a quiz about Rihanna. A popular game, Would You Rather, typically involves outrageous tasks or situations. SnapChat made the mistake of creating a question based on Rihanna and Chris Brown's feud. The question: "Would you rather slap Rihanna or hit Chris Brown?"

3. Cinnabon Banks on Carrie Fisher's death

The loss of Star Wars actress Carrie Fisher was devastating. Cinnabon seemed to see Fisher as a cash cow even after death. They ran an ad of the actress as Princess Leia with cinnamon rolls as her signature hairstyle. This was all an attempt to sell more product, and it was absolutely insensitive to Fisher's life and death. Star Wars fans definitely didn't like that.

4. US Airways' NSFW response to a tweet

US Airways frequently responds to customer complaints and questions via Twitter. Well, one day they spiced things up — seriously. The airline published an illustration when responding to a customer who complained about a delayed flight. An X-rated image. How this NSFW image got through privacy settings the world may never know.

5. Pigeon: Transformation in reverse direction

A misstep by Dove is always a big disappointment. The brand has done so much to empower women and break beauty norms. One of their campaigns "missed completely," as they later said. The ad begins with a black woman wearing a brown t-shirt. She takes off her shirt and shows a white woman in a white t-shirt. People quickly recognized the ad as racially charged, and complaints ensued. Dove apologized and realized her mistake, but it was still a big blow.

6. Fast-paced new espresso from Starbucks

This coffee giant is known for pushing the envelope, but people weren't ready for their new espresso. Starbucks introduced the blonde drink with flirtatious advertising and salacious language. Some examples were "Blondes Have More Fun" and "Tall, Blonde, and Beautiful". It also let customers order "tall blondes." Surely Barista didn't like this cumbersome new style of ordering!

7. Twitter's CFO wasn't too savvy

One would expect the CFO of a social media platform to have great online etiquette. Unfortunately, former boss Anthony Noto screwed it up. He accidentally tweeted a direct message to the whole world. There was talk of a possible merger, although privacy details such as the company involved were not disclosed. Could that be the reason why Noto isn't around anymore?

8. Nothing beats a short stack of tampons

A few years ago, IHOP decided to become IHOB: International House of Burgers. However, the combination of her font and the new "b" wasn't the best choice. It made a lot of ladies laugh. IHOB's "OB" was similar to the brand image for o.b. tampons.

9. T-Mobile Austria finds it difficult to clarify

T-Mobile Austria responded to a customer tweet about passwords that shook things up. The customer asked if the company stores passwords in clear text. The answer they received didn't help anyone and raised privacy issues. The company responded with "Yes" and "I really don't see why this is a problem." People quickly freaked out about the lack of password security.

10. False alarm, Queen Elizabeth

The Queen may be in her 90s, but she's still alive and kicking. Back in 2015, the BBC's Ahmen Khawaja tweeted that "Queen Elizabeth has died". Was this a pre-emptive death warning after the monarch's hospital visit? Did Khawaja want to be the first to tweet it? Regardless, it was distasteful and landed her in trouble with the BBC.

11th Olympic Winter Games in … P.F. changs?

A news station from Chicago reported on the Winter Olympics in South Korea. Unfortunately, someone at the Pyeongchang studio with P.F. Changs. The restaurant chain played along and published a humorous tweet of its own. Viewers taunted the channel with all sorts of Chinese puns. An Olympiad at P.F. Changs would certainly be the best games of all time.

12. Razer goes over the line

Apple already advertised its new MacBook Pro in 2016. One disappointing feature was the lack of an SD card slot. Razer fired back with a cheeky tweet that didn't help its marketing at all. "You call yourself a pro? S my D.” The message was quickly greeted with negative reactions, and Razer removed it after a day.

13. Happy 4th of July, Liberia

YouTube Creators Twitter needs a new manager. For July 4th, 2018, they released a holiday message for other Americans. It was a nice sentiment but they shared the false flag emoji. Hers had red and white stripes with a star. This is the flag of Liberia, not that of the United States of America.

14. What is more feminine than a washing machine?

The German household appliance manufacturer committed a major faux pas on International Women's Day. They tweeted, "May all women... embrace what makes them unique!" So what was up with the four white ladies smiling next to a washing machine? The marketing was neither unique nor celebratory for women. Miele appears to be in the 1950s, not 2023.

15. Lockheed Martins Weltfototag-Flop

Lockheed Martin, which sells guns, wanted customers to attend World Photo Day. So they asked her to share a picture of one of their products. Users on Twitter were outraged and shared images of various violent crimes involving firearms. Not exactly the image the brand was looking for.

16. Uber's bad timing

There was a lot of backlash after President Trump's travel ban on Muslim-majority countries. Taxi drivers in New York City expressed their anger by refusing to provide service at JFK Airport. At the same time, Uber ran an advertising campaign for its rides. Customers were extremely upset at the company's poor timing.

17. Betsy DeVos vs. W.E.B. you bois

This snafu happened the same week that Trump named Betsy DeVos as the new Secretary of Education. The Department of Education released a tweet honoring civil rights activist and historian W.E.B. you bois However, they misspelled his last name as "DeBois." It sparked public outrage and was seen as a complete failure, leaving everyone with a sour taste in their mouths.

18. A Yanny/Laurel joke taken too far

the us Air Force got on the Yanny/Laurel train in 2018. However, there was nothing funny about her tweet. They joked that the Taliban would rather have heard Yanny or Laurel than the Air Force drone strike. The jab made death easy and tasteless.

19. Anti-Hillary Clinton Retweet von IHOP

The pancake restaurant chain knows best when it comes to screwing up online. They retweeted a tweet wishing everyone a good morning except those who deny Clinton ran a trash campaign. The community on Twitter wasted no time in calling out IHOP. The company responded by saying they were hacked.

20. The CEO of Amazon feels the heat on Earth Day

After Jeff Bezos wished everyone a nice Earth Day and tweeted about dog sledding, the Twitterverse lost it. They roasted Bezos online, pointing out that Amazon employees are struggling in oppressive working conditions. Comedian Sarah Silverman even pointed out that many Amazon workers depend on food stamps, so they certainly wouldn't take off for Earth Day. Bezos felt the heat for it.

21. Incomplete tweet from McDonald's about Black Friday

McDonald's Twitter should post a message about Black Friday deals. Instead, the tweet read: "Black Friday ***copy and link required****. It looks like the placeholder went out before the actual tweet. Curiously, the error drew more attention than the correct tweet likely would have gotten. Maybe it was for the best!

22. Dolce & Gabbana is losing its Chinese audience

The fashion brand ran an ad showing a Chinese woman trying to eat Italian food with chopsticks. It sparked a media reaction and several stores dropped Dolce & Gabbana. They had to cancel their Shanghai show, saying they had "a lot to learn." Maybe they'll have better luck in 2023.

23. Wendy's sends the wrong message

Wendy's Twitter is cheeky and has some wild replies. But when they posted a picture of Pepe the Frog, it was over. The meme evolved to depict white supremacy, which is why its inclusion on Wendy's Twitter sparked outrage. The restaurant chain blamed the lack of digital awareness of their community manager.

24. Chick-fil-A could use a geography lesson

A fan tweeted at the restaurant asking about a deal at the North Pole in Alaska. Yes, this city really exists. Chick-Fil-A responded that they were not currently expanding beyond North America. Too bad Alaska is in North America.

25. The New York Times' unique take on millennials

The nationally recognized newspaper had a major error in its online article on President Trump's trade claims. The newspaper's editor used a joke browser extension called "Millennials to Snake People". The result was a digital article that labeled young people as snakes. The readers were nothing short of perplexed when they read this.

Social Media Fails: The Worst Culprits

While everyone makes mistakes online from time to time, some mistakes are hard to forget. This is a list of the worst offenders when it comes to funny social media blunders. Businesses and individuals should try to avoid these at all costs.

1. Posting Non-Brand Content

Many companies use Paper.li to add engaging digital content for their audience. Nonetheless, a simple slip can lead to off-brand illustrations and stories. For TheOrganicView, this was a crucial mistake. Instead of reposting helpful nutritional news, they shared a story about a child molester.

2. A self-centered perspective

SJ Magazine really screwed up when they shared news about their Women's Empowerment Series. The topic was Women in Business: A Man's Perspective. Viewers were quick to point out that there was nothing empowering about it. The magazine eventually shut down the series after receiving countless emails about it.

3. Platforms are not the same

Even those who aren't social media experts know that every platform works differently. Therefore, people cannot post the exact same format on every channel. When a company takes its Facebook content and posts it on Twitter, it just screams laziness.

4. A warning about Facebook ads

It is important to understand the product being advertised. When Corvette used Facebook ads to build hype for their new model, it was a disaster. The ad said the car was only $15,000. The car brand could have sold Corvettes at a $45,000 discount.

5. Must keep up with schedules

The internet can be a difficult place. When a brand doesn't stick to their upload schedule, viewers can get angry. McDonald's dropped the ball when its placeholder text was accidentally tweeted publicly. It's so important to stay ahead of those release schedules.

6. Ad Compliance and Trustworthiness

When companies don't adhere to ad compliance, they end up with a lot of disgruntled customers. Chevrolet advertised its Corvette at a special price but didn't explain the terms. You could have included a link instead to increase click-through rates.

7. Bad copy

Everyone has seen Facebook posts or tweets that lack any common sense. If writing isn't your forte, hire someone to write the content. Otherwise, it makes a company look stupid and can hurt their sales.

8. Misrepresentation is the worst

Not portraying different groups in the right light means unhappiness for all. When Miele posted for International Women's Day, they featured an image that undermined the 1950s stereotype of housewives. It was neither empowering nor classy. In fact, they deleted it.

9. Focus on a selected image

Sometimes companies neglect to set up a featured image for their articles. Or they don't pay attention to what this picture is. When they then share it online, it distracts from the content of the piece. One brand did this with a message, but the featured image was the author.

10. Double check, then triple check

Car sales coach Alan Ram died tragically in a plane crash. He had a regular segment on a show with a fiery setting. An unfortunate coincidence, but CBT News should have changed the background before showing his picture while declaring his death.

FAQ section

How to recover from a social media PR disaster?

Sometimes brands post broken links or their jokes fall flat. But there are 5 big mistakes: the early release, the wrong reward, the hack, the inappropriate opinion and the insensitive statement. Never post content that misrepresents the company, mocks serious issues, or makes false promises. Recovery can take time, but the first step is to apologize. Try to humanize the brand and be open and honest. Then stick to safe content to restore trust. Consumers are more likely to respond positively to companies that choose transparency. It certainly doesn't help companies to cover up their mistakes.

Should a company share negative experiences with others?

Yes. Consumers expect transparency and honesty. Companies that admit their mistakes as quickly as possible have a greater chance of being redeemed. When negativity shows up in a company's feed, they should leave it there and respond appropriately. Deleting them provokes the audience and brings more backlash. Don't sweep anything under the rug! Sharing a negative experience shows that there are real people behind the brand. Stay true to the apology and explain how the company is working to make things better. The crowd is not guaranteed to be 100% forgiving, but they will appreciate the effort you put into making things right.

Summary of the rules for digital marketing

The key takeaway here is if something is wrong, don't share it. Brands in particular need to be careful about what they post. Having multiple people run it is a great way to get different perspectives on it. Use this list as an example of what not to do. And when mistakes happen, deal with them openly and honestly. For even more organization, try aSocial media automation toolor planner. After all, when in doubt, play it safe.

Do you know any of these mistakes or has your brand done something similar? Jump in in the comments below, or share a time when you witnessed an epic online blunder.