5 Instances When Brands Got Overly Competitive With Their Marketing Campaigns

Controversies and scandals! We all love it, don’t we? Especially, when they are a direct outcome of rivalry between our favorite brands! Over the years, companies have often tried to put each other down with their marketing campaigns and adverts.

So, here we are with five awesome brand wars that led to the creation of some memorable commercials and ad campaigns.

1. Samsung vs Apple

We had to start with this one. Everyone knows about the ongoing rivalry between two of the biggest tech giants i.e., Samsung and Apple. While their rivalry has resulted in several awesome marketing campaigns over the years, Samsung’s comparison of its S3 features with the iPhone 5 made for a really fun brand war.

However, Apple didn’t take too long to respond either.

But we all know that Samsung is always a step ahead of Apple when it comes to creating impactful brand adverts, especially if they are aimed at taking potshots at Apple. So, it released an ad in 2017 that again mocked Apple's storage and water-resistant problems over the years.

Honestly, it doesn’t look like this rivalry is about to cease anytime soon. Now, how amazing is that? Cheers!

2. Times of India vs The Hindu

Indian newspaper outlets Times of India and The Hindu have had a few face-offs in the past. In its ‘Wake Up’ campaign, the Times of India featured Chennai readers being put to sleep by a newspaper that dished out news in the most boring way possible. Honestly, the ad seemed innocuous to everyone, except the people who know how strong a hold The Hindu has in Chennai. Therefore, it was obvious whom the Times of India ad was aimed at.

The Hindu wasn’t going to let this pass easily.

The battle seemed fairly balanced until this ad was published in TOI’s matrimonial section.

The troll simply stacked the game in The Hindu’s favor while the folks at TOI were caught napping. Any guesses who posted this ad in TOI? My bet is on someone from The Hindu team!

3. Kingfisher Airlines vs Jet Airways

How often do we see airlines fighting it out amongst themselves to get maximum attention from the public? Well, that’s exactly what happened when a few Indian airline companies decided to go all out against each other.

It all began when Jet Airways announced to the audience that “They have changed” on a billboard. Kingfisher wasted no time whipping back at them saying “We made them change”.

And just when we thought that this was it, GoAir decided to step in and made the other two brands look like sissies.

4. Amazon vs Zomato

Often brands tend to shoot themselves in the foot in an effort to outdo their rivals. Amazon learned it the hard way when in its bid to promote and trend its #AurDikhao campaign, it decided to troll other brands.

Since Zomato had changed its logo a few times around the same period, Amazon saw this as an opportunity and tweeted this.

But Zomato’s response turned out to be a much-needed lesson for Amazon.

5. Durex vs The Rest

And finally, the best of the entire lot. Durex never shies away from edgy marketing. And that’s precisely why instead of focusing on one competitor, they took the marketing battle to all of them.

In a 2016 ad published in South Africa, Durex came out with a simple but bold poster that served more as a warning to everyone using condoms from their rivals. Very original Durex, and most importantly- effective!

Wrapping Up

And that’s a wrap of yet another blog on the most competitive marketing campaigns. Over the years, brands have often tried to one-up each other through well-thought advertisements. While their ideas might backfire at times, the key lies in keeping yourself ready to try new ideas. Because marketing is all about keeping an open mind.

We’ll be back with a few more amazing ads and commercials for you. Till then, stay tuned.