On this episode of Embracing Marketing Mistakes, I’m joined by Gareth Turner, founder of Big Black Door and former Head of Marketing at Weetabix. Gareth has over 23 years of experience in food and drink, having led marketing for brands like John Smith’s, Bulmers, Lurpak and Arla. From buying a racehorse for John Smith’s to launching Bulmers fruit ciders and leading the viral Beanz on Bix campaign, his career is packed with bold ideas and brilliant lessons.
Gareth opens up about one of his biggest missteps: a bizarre PR stunt involving a coat made of human hair to promote a chocolate milkshake. The idea aimed to poke fun at over-the-top masculinity in advertising but fell flat due to a lack of strategic grounding and a weak link to the product.
• Created a coat from barbershop hair to promote protein chocolate milk
• Concept satirised extreme masculinity in ads
• Missed the mark with an unclear product connection
• Broke a key food marketing rule by undermining appetite appeal
• Gained international attention, including CNN Japan
• Might spark social media buzz today, but still fails on brand relevance
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