Jagermeister - Pool Party

An event can be seen as an easy way to promote efficiently a product or service. However even in the most basic event every precaution must be taken to avoid any mistake that could damage the brand.
And that is exactly what Jagermeister didn't do.
Jagermeister, the well-known alcohol brand whose consumers are hype and love to party decided that a sponsored pool-party in Mexico would be a great event to remind everyone that the brand is for hype people that love to party. During the whole set up the organizers decided that, in addition to gorgeous ladies in bathsuit and sexy dudes surrounded by jagermeister, it would be really interesting to have some kind of mist coming out of the water.
This is how they decided to add liquid nitrogen to the pool. What they certainely didn't expect was the chemical reaction provoked by the liquid nitrogen and the chlorine.

The Jagermeister pool disaster

Combine nitrogen and chlorine and you obtain some nitrogen trichloride, a very toxic gas that immediately knocks out whoever breathes it.
As a result, 9 people have been hospitalized and one person has even been in coma for a few days. More than 4 complaints were filed with the government.

Morale of the story: Curiosity kills the cat... But nitrogen trichlorine is better at it

Gerber - Singles

Some companies do have the right idea, only it just doesn't come up at the right time... Or with the right shape.
In 1974, Gerber, a baby food enterprise, tries to extend its brand to the adult food market. Willing not to spend too much money in new manufacturing tools or in brand re-positioning, Gerber decided that the niche market of the single living adults would suit its expertise. Single people don't need to buy a lot of food at the same time, they only need small portions. And this is how Gerber launched a baby-food-jar similar product range for adults. I have to admit that they thought about that very carefully, since nothing is omitted : vegetables, appetizers, mashed potatoes and meat, desserts... You could truly feed you with that single brand.

The for-adults-baby-jars

Thing is that the company didn't think about the consumer's motivation. Why would this single 35 years olds man buy this product ? So that he remembers that he is alone ? Or that, as he is single, he cannot be seen as an accomplished adult ? Or that not only he is single but he also doesn't have friends to go out and eat with ? The product range didn't work at all and has quickly been removed form the shelves. No need to ask if Gerber did a market research before its launch. If it had done that maybe it could have been one of today's leader in the single-portion food, in plastic or aluminium package, that are made for busy people...

Moral of the story : The end justifies the means... Or maybe not !