In 2019 The Italian Football league Serie A launched an anti-racism campaign called “No To Racism” which ended up missing the mark completely by featuring monkeys as symbolic of the idea that “we are all monkeys”. It was not only insensitive but reflected a lack of foresight. It reflected how a lack of real inclusion can have a negative impact on even the most “well-intentioned” campaigns.
Social listening as well as stakeholder consultations would have led to a more informed decision and that decision should have been that this artwork is insensitive and a major distraction from the issue its trying to address - Ronke Lawal, Ariatu PR
Read more here: https://www.prweek.com/article/1669327/use-monkeys-serie-anti-racism-campaign-tone-deaf-hurtful-bame-community#
The Home Office came under criticism when it launched it’s #KnifeFree Chicken Box campaign which shared real life stories of young people who had stopped carrying knives. It was a campaign designed to reduce the knife crime across England and Wales but was met with backlash as being inauthentic and using stereotypes to highlight real issues. I shared some thoughts on PRWeek:
Chicken shops are a gathering place for young people and though some segments of the target demographic do frequent chicken shops, it is highly unlikely that this campaign will be effective. If those who were in involved in the design and planning of this campaign were to truly pay attention they would know that this type of campaign would have very little impact. An on-the-nose campaign like this simply distracts us from the issues at hand. The execution of the PR and comms around this was clunky, condescending and inauthentic; I say inauthentic as it would appear that the advertising and marketing companies who designed it are not very diverse.