Four Brands Apologized in Two Weeks: Does It Help?

Over the past two weeks, several major brands have been forced, one after another, to issue public apologies. Adweek's headline names four brands — Neutrogena, Target, Good Good Golf and Callaway — but in his detailed analysis, editor Robert Klara cites incidents involving only three of them as examples: Neutrogena, Target and Good Good Golf. According to him, these incidents clearly showed just how lacking in sensitivity brands can be in their marketing.

Neutrogena responded to accusations leveled at the brand by actress Hayden Panettiere only four days after her death — a delay that drew sharp criticism of the company. Target, meanwhile, was forced to hastily pull an offensive Halloween costume from sale. And golf brand Good Good Golf deleted a video that portrayed violence against women in a flippant manner.

All three brands later issued apologies, but none of them responded to Adweek's inquiry. This situation raises a deeper question: why do large, experienced companies still keep making mistakes that offend their own customers? On this point, the author recalls Pepsi's famous ad featuring Kendall Jenner — an incident that likewise drew similarly sharp criticism at the time.

Mike Kresch, vice president of strategy at digital marketing agency Moburst, emphasizes that brands have an obligation to carefully review their products and marketing materials before releasing them.

Adweek's article ends on an open question: do these apologies genuinely help brands, or are they not enough to restore customer trust? There is no clear answer yet, but the fact that these incidents occurred one after another in such a short span has once again put the issues of internal oversight and sensitivity facing brands back on the agenda.